


Young Things

by mumblingmaria



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, High School, secret agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-30
Updated: 2014-03-28
Packaged: 2017-12-10 01:09:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/780038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumblingmaria/pseuds/mumblingmaria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wally West has some interesting friends. All of them are nice people who would do anything for him, and vice versa. It just so happens that two of his friends are secret agents who go on covert missions and save peoples lives and stuff. He helps; it’s really no big deal. But then when a new agent joins up with them, Artemis Crock, tensions rise and Wally finally feels like his world has been flipped around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an attempt to tackle a multi-chapter fic. I have never been able to finish one before. I really wanted to write an AU and spy stuff in fun, so I went with it. To get inspired I watch a bunch of Kim Possible.

“Ugh! I still can’t believe Roy quit!” a ginger boy shouted. He was pacing next to a picnic table seated with four other people, “What right does he have to want to go ‘solo’? What if the world needs him?”

“Wally, to be fair, he’s still working, just not with Kaldur and I. He doesn’t like The Agency anymore,” a dark haired boy responded. He was by far the youngest in the group at the picnic table. Wally glared at him and continued to pace, “And look, you can’t really blame Roy. I mean, he was stuck working with a bunch of high school students and they wouldn’t promote him. I mean come on I’m a freshman! He can still ‘save the world’, as you oh so dramatically put it, on his own.”

“Well, I do blame him,” Wally snapped before he stopped his pacing, "And you’re only a freshman to this school; you’ve been working for years. And now we’re going to be stuck with some new guy and he won’t be as good as Roy!” 

He looked at the rest of the group while starting to pace again. Richard Grayson, who preferred to be called Dick, was the dark haired boy who had spoken. Wally could easily call him his best friend, even if he was a pain in his ass. There was Kaldur Ahm, a dark skinned boy in the same grade as Wally who worked with Dick, as well as Megan Morse, a fellow bright-eyed ginger, and Conner Kent, a stubborn dark haired boy, who just started dating much to Wally’s dismay. They were like him, not working towards saving the world, “Roy should have stuck it out longer. I mean, is The Agency really that bad?”

“Yes,” both Kaldur and Dick responded at the same time. Their eyes met briefly and they both chuckled. 

“But seriously, Wally, chill. Roy can do what he wants. Besides, we’ll be fine. The replacement they’re sending will be here soon. They might even get here today,” Dick said, patting the spot on the bench next to him. Wally sighed and sat down next to his friend. 

“What do you guys know about him?” Wally asked.

“Not very much. They are enrolled at here at school with us and they are extremely well trained. That is all they told us,” Kaldur said, taking a sip from his water bottle, “We will just have to wait until the new agent arrives receive more information.”

Both Kaldur and Wally looked over at Dick, Megan and Conner following suit. Dick looked around, a frown appearing on his face.

“What?”

“Well,” Megan chimed in, leaning towards the young boy, “you are kind of a genius computer hacker. We all assumed you’ve figured everything out about the new agent already.”

“Yeah, come on Wonder Boy, spill the beans. What’s he like?” Wally asked.

Dick grinned, “Well, I may know that they’re fifteen and are in grade ten. I might know that they’re new to the town. And there’s a chance I know that they are actually a girl.”

Megan smiled while the young black haired boy smirked at Wally, whose mouth had fallen open.

“Wait, what? A girl? A girl is replacing Roy?” Wally asked, somewhat skeptical.

“Do you have a problem with a girl being the replacement?” Kaldur asked, coldly.

“Well, no, I just didn’t realize there were any girl agents. Makes sense that there are, I guess,” Wally said, resting his head on the palm of his hand, “Do you know if she’s hot?”

“Of course we have girl agents, you ass,” Dick said, punching Wally’s arm, “And I don’t know what she looks like. They don’t store pictures of us in case someone hacks the system.”

Wally coughed something that sound very similar to “hackers like you” before getting punched again by his friend.

“A girl? That’s so exciting. While I love you boys, having a girl in the group will be so nice,” Megan said excitedly. 

“Why’s that, Megs, can’t stand all the manliness that I bring to the group?” Wally asked, waggling his eyebrows at her. Conner looked over at him and rolled his eyes. Wally grinned back his friend before looking back at Dick. “So, what’s this new agent’s name?”

“Artemis Crock.”

“That… is a weird name.”

“Be nice, Wallace Rudolph West, it’s definitely not the worst out there,” Dick replied, smirking.

“Dude, seriously! You promised you’d never say my middle name out loud!” Wally yelled, punching his friend’s arm. Megan started to laugh and Wally saw a faint smile appear on Kaldur’s face.

“Your middle name is Rudolph?” Conner asked, a smirk appearing on his face.

“Shut up,” Wally grumbled, crossing his arms. He shot a glare at his best friend who was now howling with laughter, “I think I’m going to disown you as best friend, Grayson.”

Conner was about to reply when a loud bell went off. Sighing, Wally looked around the school grounds. The students were all heading back into the school. He stood up and grabbed a red backpack on the ground near him. “I don’t want to go to class.”

“What do you have right now?” Megan asked, her hand slipping into Conner’s as the rest of the group stood up. 

“Gym. And right after lunch too, it’s the worst,” the boy groaned, “I’m going to be the laughing stock for another hour. I hate it so much.” 

Kaldur smiled softly before looking at Dick, “Do you believe we should wait around here at the school after classes are over in case Artemis Crock arrives?”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Dick replied as the group started to walk towards a set of doors, “I have a feeling she’ll show up today.”

“Is this an actual ‘feeling’ or is it you being the ridiculous know-it-all that you are?” Wally asked, eyeing his friend. 

Dick merely smirked.

“Oh, can we wait with you guys?” Megan asked, “I want to meet her!”

“Is that a good idea? I mean, technically, you, Wally, and I shouldn’t even know about them in the first place,” Conner asked. 

“Please, like they’ll keep me away. I’ve helped with their missions a countless number of times,” Wally stated.

“Define help,” Dick said and dodged a blow from his ginger friend. He ran ahead, laughing, as Wally flipped up his middle finger at the boy. 

They five all parted ways once inside the school. Wally sighed. Ever since Wally found out about Kaldur and Dick’s _jobs_ , school just seemed extremely mundane. But then again, having secret agents who save the world and innocent people as friends can make a lot of things seem mundane.

\----------------

Wally raced through the school halls. He couldn't believe he was running late. Again. He could easily imagine the expressions on his friends’ faces once he got there. They would definitely be laughing at him. Again. And it didn't help that this ‘Artemis Crock’ was going to be arriving and he wanted for once to not make an awkward first impression.

“I am _so_ not missing this,” he muttered under his breath. 

He quickly raced out of the school’s front doors to see his friends standing in front of the school at the sidewalk. He grinned when he saw a stranger standing with them, knowing immediately who it would have to be.

“All right, we can start, the Wall-Man is here!” he announced, trying to slow down from his quick pace. Unfortunately, his feet got tangled amongst themselves and he fell forward.

“Wall-Man? What kind of a name is that? Is that your secret code name?” the new girl said coolly. Wally looked up at her and frowned. She had a smirk on her face. Her skin was a dark olive and her long hair was a gorgeous blonde. He gulped a bit as he stood up. She was the same height as him, but he noticed she was wearing heels, and looked amazing in them. Then she spoke again, “I didn’t realize there was already a third agent in this region that was so… skilled. Why did they bother sending me when the star agent _Wall-Man_ was here already?”

“I’m sorry, but who are you? We’re waiting for the new _replacement_ for the awesome, world saving, team of secret agents to arrive. You can excuse yourself,” Wally said back, glaring at the girl.

“Okay, so now that you’re here, I think introductions are in order,” Dick interjected quickly, “Artemis, this is Megan Morse, Conner Kent, and Wally ‘The Wall-Man’ West. They’re civilians, but they’ve help Kaldur and I out multiple times. We wouldn’t be here today with out them. Everyone, this is Artemis Crock.”

“Wally? Your name is actually Wally?” Artemis asked, her eyes gleaming with malice.

“Yeah. And yours is Artemis? What kind of a name is that?” Wally answered, his eyes narrowing more, “Did your parents have a weird Greek mythology obsession? Or did they want you to stay a virgin forever?”

Artemis’ eyes narrowed in suit.

“Okay! Well, this is going well,” Dick said, again trying to relieve the tension. Wally looked around and noticed Megan laughing behind her hand and Conner grinning at him. Kaldur had a gentle smile on his face, “Anyway, the three of us have to go now and train a bit. You know, get used to working together. We’ll see you guys tomorrow at lunch.” 

Dick and Kaldur started to walk down the sidewalk, while Artemis hung back briefly. “Dick says that you sometimes come out and actually join on field work.” Artemis stated, cocking an eyebrow at Wally.

“Yeah, I’m surprisingly useful for just a _civilian_ ,” he replied, “I’ve done a lot for your dumb agent group thing.”

“Really? Are you actually any good? Also, how are you even allowed to join us? Does The Agency know?” she asked, taking a step towards him.

“Yes, they do know, and yes I am good. That’s why I’m allowed to go still,” he snapped back at her, also taking a step towards her, “I’ve probably been on more missions than you have.”

“Well, try not to get in my way,” she replied, her voice tightening. 

They were standing extremely close to each other now. Wally could feel her breath on his face. His eyes narrowed. Heat was rising throughout his body, which was obviously just from his anger towards this girl.

“Get in your way? I want to stay away from you as much as I can! And who are you to question me? You’re just a replacement for a far better agent than yourself. That’s the only reason you’re here. You’re a replacement!” he said, “I’m definitely more useful to Dick and Kaldur than you are.”

Artemis was about to answer when Dick called from down the street, “Artemis, come on! I don’t want to be at this all night!” 

Artemis looked over at the two boys then back at Wally. She glared at him before turning on her heels and following after Dick and Kaldur. Wally watched her leave before looking at Megan and Conner. Megan was no longer able to keep her laughter in and Conner started to join her.

“What?” Wally snapped as the three of them started to walk in the opposite direction.

“Well… I can’t help but feel you and Artemis hit it off amazingly,” Megan said between laughs, “I can tell you like her.”

“What? No! You know you’re the only one for me, babe. Conner’s the only thing that stands between us,” he said, winking at Conner. The dark haired boy snorted and put his arm around Megan’s waist, as if to prove Wally wrong, “Beside, the girl is terrible! The first thing she says to me is an insult! I never did anything to her! There is no way I like her or will ever like her.”

“She was perfectly nice to the rest of us. Maybe she likes you too,” Megan said bluntly, “That’s why she was ‘mean’. She didn’t want to lead on being attracted to you.”

“Definitely not. No, no way, she’s a demon. The next time I see her will be too soon.”

“So does that mean you’ll be joining Megan and I and no longer do the field work stuff you love?” Conner asked. Wally opened his mouth to respond but closed it. Conner grinned, “I didn’t think so. Look, give her another chance. I mean, when I first met you guys I was really rough around the edges but look at us now. It was just a bad first impression.”

Wally sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, “I hope you’re right. But if she gets on my case again, I reserve the right to fight back.”

“That’s great, Wally, but Artemis could probably kick your ass,” Megan stated, smirking at him slightly.

“I honestly believe the worst thing that happened to you was meeting Dick, he’s made you mean,” Wally said to her, shaking his head. 

“Just give her a chance.”

The three continued walking together for a while until Wally had to turn off the main street to head to his house. 

He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. As first impressions go, that definitely had to be the worst. He knew Megan and Conner were probably right and they would be fine the next day. Megan was usually right about these things. Though in this case, that would be the only thing. The liking thing was a definite no go. While Wally was willing to befriend the girl, no part of him wanted more. Not even the tiny part of him that seemed to be aching for it. He shook his head to get these thoughts out of it. It didn't matter at all if he thought she was hot, he needed more than looks to base a relationship on, contrary to popular belief. 

Then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and grinned when he saw he had a text message and opened it. It was from Dick.

_From Wonder Boy:  
Ten bucks you two start dating by before Christmas._

Wally’s grin grew bring as he texted him back.

_In your dreams._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this too so long, I wanted up by Tuesday but I was waiting for a friend to read it first and I refused to post it till she did. I’m like that about my writing. She’s my tester to make sure I’m not shit at writing. I promise chapter three will be up by the latest Wednesday and then I'll hopefully be updating weekly.

Wally sighed and leaned back in his chair. He glanced out the window of his classroom. The sun was shining and he couldn't think of a worst place to be. Soon the bell would ring he would be free from his English class, but until then he knew he would be suffering. He glanced back to the front of the room and sighed again. The teacher was discussing who knows what and if another student in the class started up another debate, Wally was sure he would scream. He slumped in his chair.

His thoughts began to wander as the teacher droned on about something he could care less about. His eyes drifted back to the window. Wally smiled thinking about the lunch break that day. Megan forced Artemis, and the rest of them, into a tour of the school during the first half. Then in the second half, they all laid around in the grass, enjoying the sun. Dick and he had begun wrestling under the watchful eyes of their friends and quizzical stare of Artemis. Though, be the end of the lunch break, he could swear he caught her smiling at them. It was moments like that, which made Wally forget his two closest friends risked their lives almost everyday, and that he did the same frequently.

Wally couldn't wait for the classes to end. Today was going to be the first time since the school year started that Dick and Kaldur were going to have the night off, and Wally had been dying to spend time with them. He was also excited, though would never admit it to anyone, to show Artemis around the city. Happy Harbor was actually a fun place to spend the warmer months of the year and he enjoyed giving tours of it. His eyes drifted closed a bit as he thought about walking around the city with Artemis and taking her to his favourite restaurant.

Just as Wally was about to fall asleep in his chair waiting, the bell finally rang. He jerked up and shook the thoughts of the most frustrating girls he had ever met out of his head. He grabbed his things and quickly made it out of the classroom. The end of the school day was always the greatest moment. At this point, he just wanted to get to his friends as quickly as possible. He reached his locker and quickly opened it. He dumped his books in quickly and grabbed the jacket he had stuffed in there earlier that day. He closed the locker and almost yelled out of shock. Next to him the girl who had infested his daydreams was leaning against the wall of lockers.

“Artemis,” he said cautiously.

“Wally,” she replied, looking him up and down, “are you heading out now?”

“Yes, to go spend time with my friends,” he said shortly. He hitched his backpack over one shoulder and looked her over quickly, “Why?”

“Can I come with you? Kaldur said I was invited join you guys after school to get a tour of this place, but I don’t know my way around this stupid building yet, even after Megan’s tour. I was looking for Megan or Conner to show me where you guys were going to meet, but your stupid red hair was the first thing I saw,” she said, avoiding his eye contact, “I don’t really want to ask you for any kind of help, but I can’t find anyone else. So unfortunately, you’re my only hope.”

Wally glared at her then sighed. He was pretty sure that Megan made sure she was hard to find. He was going to have to talk to her about this before it got out of hand. 

“Yeah, whatever, come on,” he answered and started walking down the hall. She ran to catch up to him and fell in place next to him. Wally glanced over at her and smiled. She looked really frustrated walking next him, her eyes darting around the hall trying to get her bearings. Even after her first day and extreme tour from Megan, he could tell she still had no idea how to navigate the building yet. He liked how she looked frustrated. She chewed on her lower lip and her brows were furrowed. He looked ahead of them and smiled. He didn't notice Artemis eyes landed on him.

“So, what do you guys do for fun when Kaldur and Dick aren’t busy?” Artemis asked.

Wally looked back at her, startled out of his thoughts, “What?”

“What do you do for fun around here?” she asked again, rolling her eyes at him, “And please don’t say ‘oh, we just hang out and stuff’ or I’m asking The Agency to transfer me somewhere else.”

“Oh, we just hang out and stuff,” he answered, smirking. Artemis shot him a dirty look and his smirk turned into a genuine smile, “No, but seriously, we do sort of just hang around. We all see a far amount of action and all, so we just hang out and relax.”

“Oh… That seems nice actually,” she said slowly, “Is that what you guys are planning on doing today?”

“Yeah, sort of, but you’re definitely not invited,” Wally said, smirking.

“What?” her eyes widened and she looked at him genuinely hurt. 

Wally gulped and rubbed the back of his head, “I was joking. Obviously you’re invited. We’re giving you a tour of the city; we kind of need you there for that. We might not get along, but it’s not like I’m in charge of the group.”

He had stopped walking and she stopped as well. Artemis stared at him before turning from him and walking away quickly. “Asshole,” she snapped to him as she made her way through the front doors of the school. 

Wally sighed and jogged to catch up with her. It didn't take him that long to reach her, his running capabilities were one thing he took great pride in. Her arms were crossed and she refused to look at him. He rubbed the back of his head again and was about to say something when he saw Megan waving at them. Artemis quickened her pace. He sighed and trudged on behind her.

“You already pissed her off that much?” Dick asked as Wally stepped beside him, “Class literally just ended. We were hoping you guys would flirt a bit or something, not fight immediately.”

“Shut up, I was trying to be funny,” Wally replied, shoving his heads into his pockets. 

“No one thinks you’re funny, you should just stop trying. Okay,” Dick said, now turning to the rest of the group, “so now that we’re all here, we’re sorry to say that we aren’t hanging out.”

“What?” Wally gasped. Megan and Conner looked at each other before looking back at Dick, worried. Wally looked from Kaldur to Dick quickly, and continued, “No, but we’re going to show Artemis around and watch a movie or something.”

Wally glanced at Artemis to see her quickly look away from him. He sighed. Sure, he didn't like the girl, but he still felt bad about his ill worded joke. 

“It will have to wait. We’ve been put on a group mission and leave within the hour,” Kaldur said calmly. Artemis eyes lit up and she smiled. Kaldur smiled back her before continuing, “Wally, I assume you will be wanting to join us.”

“If it’s cool with you guys, I know you have rookie here to deal with,” he responded, shrugging.

“All the more reason, you can help her learn the ropes. You two will team up,” Kaldur explained.

“What!” both Artemis and Wally shouted before glaring at each other. 

“Relax, tonight will probably be really low key, anyway,” Dick said, slinging an arm around Wally’s shoulder. The taller boy had to slouch a bit to accommodate the younger one.

“What exactly is the mission?” Artemis asked, still glaring at Wally.

“Assassination prevention.”

\----------------

“Her name is Dr. Melissa Franks and she’s supposed to be finishing up an experiment tonight that is probably going to be making a huge advancement in the medical world. It could lead to a bunch of cures and it is extremely important that she finishes this,” Dick explained, “The Agency got a tip that Dr. Franks’ life would be attempted on tonight. She’s working at the local university here in an attempt to keep her whereabouts low key and hidden.”

They were standing in a warehouse that housed a couple very large computers. Megan was sitting at one; her knees were brought up to her chest. The rest of the group was standing around her, though Dick was standing next to her. Conner and Kaldur stood between Wally and Artemis, though it didn't keep the two from periodically shooting glares at each other. 

“So,” Kaldur said stepping forward, “the four of us will be staying with her the whole night to assure this does not take place. Artemis and Wally, you two will be with her in the room. If either of you ever need to leave during the night, do it in turns. Do not, any point, leave her alone. This is of the highest importance. Dick and I will be stationed outside to keep anyone from entering the building.”

“Do you know who is trying to kill this woman?” Artemis asked, her arms folded across her chest. Her blonde hair was up in a tight ponytail. She had a dark green leather jacket and black leggings on. Wally glanced at her, noticing how nicely the green complimented her skin. He shook his head quickly and focused back on Kaldur.

“We are not entirely sure who it is, but we think it might be The League, you know, the top rate assassin organization,” Dick said nonchalantly, quickly glancing at Artemis then back to the rest of the group, “We aren’t sure though. So, you know, be prepared for anything.” 

Wally looked over at Artemis and noticed that she seemed rather tense. Just as he was going to ask if she was up for the mission, Kaldur began to speak, “Artemis and Wally, you will arrive there first. Wally, you will drive over there with Artemis. Do you have your bike here?”

“Yeah,” Wally said, sighing. He quietly added, “Unfortunately.”

“Good, we need you two to get there as soon as possible once we leave. Kaldur and I will be right behind you, but you won’t see us. Hopefully, if all goes well, the next time you see us will be tomorrow once Dr. Franks is finished the experiment,” Dick said, smiling.

Megan stood up from the chair and handed out four small earpieces, “Please don’t lose these? They aren’t cheap and I don’t want to deal with The Agency again about civilians using them.” She shot a look at Wally, who grinned as he placed his in his ear. 

“Try not to talk to much over them, they’re just for emergencies,” Dick said. 

Everyone nodded and began to get ready. Wally grabbed a black leather jacket with red and yellow detailing on it, with a yellow collar that was resting on a nearby table. His black pants matched with yellow knee guards. He pulled it on jacket over his black shirt and zipped it closed. From the pockets, he pulled out a pair of gloves. 

“That’s not a very covert outfit you’ve got there,” a voice said behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and grimaced at the person. Artemis frowned back, “Well it’s not.”

“Well no one asked you,” he retorted. He turned to look at her. Her ponytail was gone and now what replaced with an extremely neat braid. He gulped before continuing, “And besides, I’ve worn this plenty of times on missions. No one has died, thank you very much.”

“All right, whatever,” Artemis said, holding her hands up in a mock surrender. Wally rolled his eyes.

She stood still, eyeing him. Wally sighed and looked over at Dick. The young boy grinned at him before turning back to say something to Megan. The ginger girl smirked before typing something into the computer she was sitting in front of again. Conner was standing next to her with a hand on her shoulder. 

“Are you ready to go?” he asked, looking back at the blonde. She nodded and picked up the backpack next to her he didn't notice earlier, “What’s in the bag?” 

“Protection.”

Wally frowned. While he loved working with Dick and Kaldur, he always hated when weapons were brought along. He understood why they were necessary, but it made him sort of queasy. 

“You two ready?” Dick called over to them. Wally responded with a thumb’s up and Artemis merely nodded, “All right, head out now then. And try to stay whelmed, both of you. See you in the morning.”

Wally nodded and looked at Artemis. She let out a sigh and began to head for the exit of the warehouse. He grabbed a yellow and red helmet that had been resting next to his jacket and quickly followed after her. When they were outside, he turned right and walked over to a black and yellow motorcycle. 

“Wow… this is actually a cool bike,” the girl states when she reaches it, “I’m impressed.”

Wally opened the back compartment of the motorcycle and pulled out a plain black helmet. He handed it to her and cocked an eyebrow, “Impressed? Why, what do you think I owned when it was said I had a bike?”

Artemis took the helmet in her hand and placed it on her head, hiding the blonde mass. Wally climbed onto the bike and put his own helmet on. She quickly sat down behind him. Her arms snaked around his waist and he took a sharp breath in, hoping she wouldn't notice. Whether she did or not, she didn't lead onto it when she replied, “Oh, like a pretty lemon yellow Vespa or something.”

Wally looked back at her as he started the motorcycle, a smirk just visible through his helmet, “Well, this is much cooler than a Vespa. And a hell of a lot faster.”

With a roar from the engine, the two took off down the street. Artemis let out a small whoop as they raced down the road. Wally smirked as they weaved around cars and made quick turns. Her arms began to hold on tighter, her chest pressing into his back. Wally couldn't tell why his heart was racing so fast. It normally got accelerated from riding his bike, but never like this. It was true that this was the first someone had ever ridden behind him before, but he couldn't have cared less about it being Artemis. When he had gotten on the bike, he was ready to get off to avoid having her sit behind him. Now he would give anything for them to stay on this bike and drive through the city without any cares.

Soon, they reached the university. Wally parked the bike a bit of a way down the road. Artemis climbed off, and for a half second, Wally missed the warmth of her body pressed against his. But quickly he followed suit, pulling his helmet off at the same time. Artemis was smiling, looking at his motorcycle. 

“Ready to hopefully not fight some bad guys and save the girl?” the ginger asked, grinning over at the blonde. Artemis looked up at him, still smiling. Wally’s chest tightened for a brief second.

“I most definitely am, are you? I mean, what do you even do on these mission? Distract?” Artemis asked, her smile turning into a smirk.

“I happen to be amazing at track and I have been taught to fight,” Wally said, lifting his chest a bit, “Dick taught me everything I know, thank you.”

“So… the best skill you have to offer is running away?” she mocked, then turned on her heels and headed towards the university. 

Wally gaped and followed after her, after grabbing the keys to his bike. He was fuming. Any confusing feelings he was having a minute ago that were caused by her were gone and rage replaced them. He couldn't believe how quickly the mood changed, but more so, he couldn't believe it had changed. He didn't understand the feelings he got when she was around. It went for some sort of attraction to complete and utter hatred. Wally was ready for this night to be over and it had only just begun. There was not a single part of him looking forward to spending a whole night with her. Things had definitely gotten out of hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh fighting and action and actual movement. I am so far from good at writing this stuff so I’m sorry if this is far from good. Trust me when I say this went through a lot of work to get to the point of sharing. But hey, hopefully it works. Also, any facing kicking is dedicated to my best friend. We enjoy it when Artemis kicks people in the face.

Wally groaned and leaned back in the chair he was in. Artemis shot him a glare before looking out the window again. He glanced over at her and sighed. They had been stuck in this room since five o’clock and Wally’s muscles were starting to hurt.

“Hey, Artemis, what time is it?” he called across the room.

He heard a sigh before getting the response he wanted, “It’s eleven now. Please stop asking, it hasn’t made the last six hours go by quickly, it’s not going to make the rest of this night go by any faster.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Wally said. He sighed and propped his feet up on the table in front of him. The only times the two had talked during the night were to let the other know when was stepping out for a minute or when Wally would ask for the time. While he understood that their focus was to keep Dr. Melissa Franks alive, he was extremely bored.

A part of him had hoped that Artemis and he would have been able to work out the obvious annoyance they had for each other. Sure they had only known each for twenty-four hours, but the extremely dislike between them was uncanny. Unfortunately, it seemed Artemis seemed completely uninterested in his existence. 

Wally placed a finger to his ear, “Hey Dick…”

 _“Wally, I swear if this isn’t important I’m going to hurt you in very painful ways,”_ Dick’s voice said into his ear.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, it’s about you know who,” he said, glancing over at Artemis.

 _“Seriously, please just talk to her about your feelings and not to me, I don’t have the patience to listen to you whine about her,”_ the young boy said, sounding bored.

“Excuse me, but feelings? There is no way I would have feelings for that she-devil! I just wanted to know the best why to apologize for being an ass earlier!” Wally exclaimed in a hushed voice.

 _“I have an idea,”_ a new voice said over into his ear, _“try not talking about me behind my back when I can hear you.”_

The red haired boy grimaced and looked over at Artemis. She pointed to her own ear before placing her hands on her hips, frowning. Wally raised a hand and weakly waved at her.

“Seriously, how do you forget that I can hear all the conversations that happen over the communicators? Are you actually that much of an idiot?” Artemis asked.

“Sorry, I was asking advice on how to be nice to you,” Wally muttered, turning away from her, “Next time I’ll remember you like people hating you.”

Wally stood up and began to pace around the room. He hated sitting still for too long and this night was the definition of too long. After a couple of minutes walking around the room, he sighed.

“I can’t handle this right now, I’m going for a quick lap of the hall, I need to actually move or I’ll die. You good on your own for a few minutes?” Wally asked, standing up from his chair.

“Seeing as I’m the actual trained person here, yes, I think I’ll be okay,” she replied, sending a smirk in his direction, “And this is probably for the best, now I can concentrate without you fidgeting.”

Wally glared back at her as he walked across the large room. It was a lab in the university. Hunched over one of the tables in the room was a fairly young, blonde woman. She was looking through a microscope. Wally made his way over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly and looked up at him.

“Hey, Dr. Franks, I’m just stepping out of the room for a couple of minutes, to stretch my legs. Just keep on working and I’ll be back in a flash,” he said, winking at her. 

“Yes, Wally, thank you,” the woman said, smiling back at the ginger quickly before focusing back on her work. 

Wally grinned and casually walked out of the room, glancing back at Artemis. The younger blonde was staring out the window again, her fists tightly clenched. He stepped into the hall and began to stretch his back out, then his legs. Then he began to run.

He sprinted down to the other end of the hall quickly before slowing down to a light jog. Wally felt his best when he was running normally, but he was on edge running through the hall at that moment. He glanced around the hall and behind him. It was too quiet around him; only the sound of his breathing and the fall of his feet on the hard floor could be heard. He picked up his pace and ran back into the room, opening the door quickly. Just in time he ducked a foot flying at him.

“Watch it!” he snapped, standing up straight and shooting a glare at Artemis. He quickly shut the door behind him. 

Artemis was now standing with her arms crossed, her eyes extremely narrow, “Well, maybe you shouldn’t have just rushed into the room. Seriously, Wally, I could have killed you.”

“Right, because I didn’t easily dodge that,” he said back to her.

“I was holding back.”

“Really?” he asked, “And what if I was actually the bad guy? What then?”

“Will you two please be quiet? I understand I’m trusting both of you with my life, but I do actually have to finish working here!” Melissa Franks said loudly, staring at the two teens.

Wally grimaced, “Sorry, Doc, we’ll talk quietly over there.”

He grabbed Artemis’ arm and dragged her across the room to the window. He let go very quickly once they stopped walking, as though her arm was made of fire. He placed his finger to his ear. “Dick, it’s Wally, just checking in.”

_“Everything’s fine out here. No sign of anyone or anything. How’s your end? And please stay focused this time.”_

“It’s fine, just eerie. It seems almost too quiet, if you know what I mean,” he answered. He shot a look at Artemis who frowned, as if to show she understood what Wally was saying.

“Do you think they’re already here and have just been waiting for us to let our guard down or something?” she asked. 

_“It’s possible… Extremely possible, knowing The League. Okay, be on alert. Kaldur and I need to check something out. Don’t leave the room for any reason now, okay?”_

“You got it. Be careful, dude, okay?” Wally said quickly.

_“Back at you.”_

“Should we tell Melissa about this?” Artemis asked, glancing over to the woman.

Wally shook his hand. He glanced out the window near him, wondering where exactly Dick and Kaldur were. He looked back at Artemis and saw her chewing her lower lip, “Let’s just pretend everything is normal and we’ll just hope we get through this.”

She nodded and walked away from him to her backpack that was on a table at across the room. Wally made his way over to Dr. Franks and leaned against the table she was at. The woman didn't even spare him a glance.

Wally looked around the room. It still seemed too quiet. Glancing at Artemis, he could tell she felt the same way now. There was something wrong. Trained or not trained, the situation they were in was obvious. Obvious and dangerous.

Minutes and seconds ticked by and Wally was getting more anxious as each went by. Soon he began to pace again. If Artemis minded, she didn't let on. Her eyes were focused out one of the windows again. Wally stopped and stood in the middle of the room. He looked around the room slowly. If the assassins were already here, what were they waiting for? Why not attack? 

Wally walked over to Artemis, flexing his hands a bit. Artemis looked up him, then back out the window. They stood together in silence for a few minutes. Wally wanted to radio into Dick, but knew that they were on their own. Wherever Dick and Kaldur were, they needed to stay hidden. 

“Do you think I was wrong about my feeling?” he asked, after awhile, “Maybe they aren’t here yet?”

“Oh no sweetheart, I don’t think you were wrong at all,” a female’s voice purred behind them, “But maybe you should be asking lovely Melissa over here about that.”

The two teens whipped around to see Dr. Franks was not sitting alone anymore. There was a young woman, with the same skin tone as Artemis but with wild black hair, sitting on the table and holding a sai to the blonde woman’s neck. There were two men standing a bit away from there. 

Wally felt his whole body begin to sweat. He had no idea how these people got in. From the corner of his eye, he could see Artemis tense. Perhaps she was as nervous as he was. 

“Well, isn’t this cute?” the newcomer said, grinning mischievously at the pair, “Your precious _Agency_ sent rookies to deal with me. I’m a little insulted. I thought I would get some bigger guns to fight.”

Artemis began inching over to her backpack very slowly, glancing quickly at Wally. He took the hint and stepped forward. 

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m not a rookie,” Wally said, shrugging. Every instinct inside of him was telling him to run, but he was never one to do the smarter thing. He needed to distract these three so Artemis could give them an advantage, hopefully, “So, why do you guys want Melissa anyway?”

“Oh, we don’t care about her at all. We’re just doing what we’re being paid to do,” the dark haired woman said, sliding off the table. Melissa tensed more, sitting up completely straight in her chair, “Now, if you would just stay still and let us finish our job, you’ll get to live and hope the next mission goes a bit better.”

“Shockingly, I’ll have to pass. See, I’m actually super invested in Dr. Franks’ work, so I kind of want it to get finish,” Wally said, trying to smile sweetly. He began to move forward again. The woman grinned back at him, twirling the sai in her hand, “So, how about you three live and hope your mission goes better next time?”

The next thing Wally knew was that he was barely dodging a sai flying at him. His arm ended up with a rather deep cut, but he could barely feel it, adrenaline charging through his veins now. He charged towards the three, hoping Artemis had his back. The black haired woman ran forward, but he had other plans. As she started to throw another sai, Wally dropped to the ground and somersaulted pass her. Getting to his feet quickly, he charged the two men. Thankful he had the element of surprise for a brief second, he managed to knock them both off their feet for a few moments. 

“Melissa, get behind those tables!” Wally shouted, pointing to the other side of the room. The woman nodded and grabbed a vial in her hand and ran. 

Before he could check if she would make it, Wally felt his feet come out from under him. He hit the ground hard. Gasping, he tried to focus on what happened. The two men were now standing, grinning down at him. They pulled out a pair of knives each. Wally placed his hands behind him, using them to vault himself into the air, kicking one of the assassins down. 

“Wally, get down!” Artemis’ voice rang through the room. He dropped as three arrows flew right above him, pining the guy behind him to the wall. 

Wally was about to thank her when he felt pressure on his chest, and he flew back, hitting the door to the room. He slumped to the ground, and looked up. The man he had kicked was slowly walking towards him. Wally looked pass him and saw Artemis now raising her leg up. She kicked the black haired woman in the face. He would have grinned for his partner if she had not been knocked to the ground almost immediately afterward. The woman lowered her head to Artemis and began to whisper something, but Wally had bigger, and closer, things to focus on.

They definitely needed back up, and soon. 

As if on cue, a dark form came crashing throw the window. Dick slammed feet first into Artemis’ attacker; send the woman across the room into a few chairs. The younger boy threw his own personal version of a throwing star at Wally’s attacker. They hit the man in the shoulders, causing him the grimace and turn to the thrower. Wally slowly stood up, using the door behind him as support. 

Dick was now trying to take the man down and Wally realized the woman had gone missing. 

“Where’s the black hair lady?” Wally shouted, taking a couple long strides forward. Artemis looked over at him and her eyes widened. Before she could open her mouth, cold metal touched his neck. 

“Be a nice boy and keep moving,” the woman’s voice purred behind him, “Any funny moves and you’ll lose your neck. Which would be a pity, it’s such a nice neck.”

Wally tensed and walked forwards slowly, feeling the sai press into his neck a bit more. After taking a few steps, he felt his body get flung forward. He went crashing into his younger friend and they both flew into the far wall. 

Wally grimaced as he pushed himself off of Dick. He looked up to see the woman run out of the room, the door now wide open. Before he could do anything, Artemis charged after her.

“Artemis, wait!” Dick shouted from under him. It was too late, and the blonde was already out the door, “Damn it!”

“I wouldn’t worry about her just yet,” a voice said above them. While the man Dick was fighting was lying on the ground unconscious, the man who had been pinned to the wall had freed himself from Artemis’ arrows. 

The two boys tried to stand up quickly, but they were not fast enough. The man kicked them both back down. Grinning, he pulled out a knife. He raised it above his head to throw, and Wally felt for the first time that he might actually die. 

Suddenly, the man crumpled, his knife falling from his hand. Wally and Dick looked up from the fallen man and grinned. Kaldur was standing there, looking far better than the two boys on the ground.

“I am sorry it took me so long to reach you both, I got caught up fighting a few assassins outside. I hope you two are in good conditions still,” Kaldur said. He reached a hand down to them. Wally took it and grimaced as his body screamed in protest, “I take it Dr. Melissa Franks is all right?”

“Yes,” her voice called from the other side of the room. 

Kaldur walked over to her as Wally helped his friend stand up. Wally moaned as his arm started to throb from the cut he had gotten at the beginning. While he normally enjoyed working with Kaldur and Dick, the loss of adrenaline afterward always sucked.

“Where is Artemis?” Kaldur asked, helping the scientist sit down.

“Good question,” Wally muttered, making his way to a chair of his own. He was about to sit down when Artemis made her way back into the room, slowly, “Well, nice of you to come back. Did you at least stop her?”

Artemis looked up at him and frowned, “No, I lost her.”

“Darn, what a shame,” Wally said, walking towards her. He stopped in front of her and crossed his arms rather stiffly, trying not to wince as he did so, “Well, the rest of us managed to stop the other two, very little help from you. I’m glad that you at least got to run off alone and try to take a single one down, Miss Hero.”

“Wally, lay off. She tried her best,” Dick said, walking up behind him. 

“I trusted her to have my back and I almost died until you and Kaldur showed up. And, as I was so often reminded, she was the trained one. She should have been able to take at least one of them down,” Wally said, glaring at the girl in front of him. 

“Well I’m sorry I was busy trying not to die. And I’m pretty sure I was actually saving your ass back there when I pinned the one guy. And, in case you didn’t notice, Jade was kind of a tough opponent,” Artemis snapped at him.

“Jade?” Wally asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. Artemis’ mouth fell open a bit, her eyes widened, as if she had said too much.

“Jade was the name of the assassin, Jade Nguyen to be precise. She’s a top-ranking assassin. The fact that Artemis was able to hold her own at all against her is extremely impressive. So back off, Wally,” Dick said firmly. Wally just looked at his friend, unsure of what to say. 

Artemis looked down, her shoulders falling. Wally looked back her and frowned. He lifted his hand as if to touch her shoulder or arm, but he let it fall instead, “Fine, whatever. I’m probably just annoyed I let myself get hurt as badly as I did… You were fine.”

Artemis looked up at him. She did not smile, but her face was softer. “Right.”

“If that is all, we still have the rest of the night to guard Dr. Melissa Franks. Wally, I would see that you tend to the cut on your arm before it gets any worse,” Kaldur said.

Wally groaned but nodded. 

“I have some bandages in my backpack, come on,” Artemis said quickly, making her way to her backpack. 

Dick patted his shoulder and walked over to Kaldur. Wally made his way to where Artemis was sitting with her bag, bringing a chair with him. He placed it next to her and sat down. “Look, I’m sorry, I just-“

“Can it, I don’t care. I get you don’t trust me yet, and that’s fine,” she said, reaching into her backpack, “I’m not here to impress you. I’m here because I want to make sure people like Melissa Franks don’t die.”

Wally nodded. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and dragged it up slowly, wincing as he did so. Soon his shirt was off and he was looking away from Artemis. He winced again as the girl began to clean his cut. As she began to wrap it up, he finally started to relax a bit. 

He watched Dick and Kaldur tie up the two unconscious assassins and watched as Dick called in the attack to the Agency. He glanced at Artemis, who was now finishing up on his arm. He muttered his thanks and pulled his shirt back on. Once his head popped through his eyes met Artemis’. She smiled faintly before cleaning up the medical supplies she had used. 

“You’re a pretty good archer, by the way,” Wally said quickly.

“Thanks… You’re not a bad fighter yourself,” she replied. 

Wally stood up and made his way over to Kaldur, a smile spreading across his face. He would never deny that she was a huge pain in his ass already, and he was convinced that she would probably remain one for a very long time. He was also sure that they would never become close friends. But Wally was beginning to feel as though she was someone he could definitely trust.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot harder to write for some reason. I don’t know… just was. But it’s done now and I’m finally past this stupid block of a chapter. But here is it and I can move onto a chapter I want to write. On another note, I planned out the rest of this story (finally) and damn it’s going to be long. ALSO wow I’m so sorry this took so long to put up. I’ve been having a weird week and things just piled up, so just sorry. Hopefully chapter five will go up Friday. I probably shouldn’t promise things though.

Wally was lying on the couch of his living room, his one leg resting on the back of it while the other hung off the side. He was staring up at the ceiling, thinking about the past days. He lifted his arm to rub his face and grunted, forgetting about the cut on it. He let it fall, wondering how much longer he was going to have to deal with it. It had closed up completely now, but it was sore whenever he moved it. Explaining it to his parents had been a nightmare. While Dick, Kaldur, and he supposed Artemis were open about these ‘extra curricular’ activities, Wally wasn't. He was not sure his parents would be okay with him risking his life, never knowing for sure if he would be okay or coming home again.

He let his eyes drift closed as his thoughts began to wander. They had successfully kept Dr. Melissa Franks alive for the rest of the night and all somehow made it through the next day of school. Wally could barely remember it, to be perfectly honest. The only thing that stuck with him was his shouting match with Artemis that ended with Dick forcing him into a walk around the school grounds until the end of the lunch period.

Every time Wally felt like Artemis and he were making a step forward in their relationship he somehow managed to take two steps back. It wasn't that he did not want to be her friend, a part of him honestly did, but for some reason the two of them just couldn't manage to say a nice word about the other one. They always had to argue and contradict each other. Whenever they managed an actual conversation, Wally, and everyone else, was shocked.

A knock on the front door of his house made his eyes open. He lifted his head up slightly to look towards the door, and lowered it as he saw his mother moving to answer it. 

“Oh, hello Megan, how are you?” his mother’s voice rang from the door. 

Wally sat up quickly and grinned. “Hey Megs!” he called from the living room.

The ginger girl walked in, holding a small Tupperware in her hands. “Hi Mrs. West, hi Wally. I brought some cookies I baked today. I thought you’d like a couple.”

“Babe, you get me perfectly,” he said, making room on the couch for her. She walked over to him smiling. She placed the cookies on the coffee table in front of the couch before sitting down. “So, what brings you over? Also, no Conner?”

“No, he’s spending some time with his family out at their farm for the weekend. Just me today,” she answered, folding her hands neatly in her lap.

“Bummer, I had a book to loan him,” Wally said, sighing. He reached over to the Tupperware and opened it, grabbing a cookie.

“I’ll let him know. Anyway, how are you doing?” Megan asked, taking a cookie herself.

“Good, you know, just relaxing, enjoying the weekend,” he said, swallowing the half of the cookie in his mouth. 

“That’s good. How’s your arm?”

“It’s getting better, but it still hurts every now and then,” he answered, eyeing his friend. “Megan, not that I mind you being here, but if you’re just here to see how I’m doing, you could have just called.”

“Oh, no I have an actually reason,” she said, smiling. She looked Wally over before glancing around the room. “So, you and Artemis…”

“What about her?” he asked, eyeing his friend as she refused to meet his gaze. He could swear that her ‘innocent’ smile had turned into a smirk.

“You guys just seem, I don’t know, close? You two spend a lot of time together,” Megan elaborated. 

“Spend a lot of time fighting you mean. She’s a pain in my ass, that’s all,” he said, leaning back into the couch, crossing his arms. “All she does is try to piss me off and she does a fantastic job at it.”

“You still do spend a lot of time together,” she pointed out, looking back at him.

Wally opened his mouth to argue the point but sighed instead. He couldn't deny that he and Artemis did spend a lot of time together. Normally someone else was there with them, but every now and then it was just the two of them. They had walked home together at the end of the first week since she had shown up. Though they argued most of the walk, it was more of a heated debate about why their favourite classes were as good as they were. By the time they reached her house they were laughing. They also had what could easily have been the most awkward goodbye, which resulted in Wally running down the street away from her. He had a hard time believe that only a week had passed since their walk. In the two weeks he had known her, Wally could say she was the most infuriating and exhilarating person he had ever met.

“What does it matter though?” he asked, looking away from Megan. “She’s a pain and she tries to be one. Sure, we’ve had a couple good moments, but there hasn’t been enough for us to even become acquaintances.”

“Acquaintances with who, dear?” a gentle voice asked behind him. The two ginger teens looked up and Wally groaned. His mother was standing behind them, a tray with two glass of milk on it and a bowl of grabs alongside them. 

“No one, Mom,” he muttered, sinking into the couch.

“The new girl at school,” Megan piped up. Wally shot her a glare, but it didn't stop the girl from continuing. She shifted on the couch, resting her arms on the back of it to get a better look at his mother. “She just got here last week and she and Wally have been at each other’s throats since. _I_ think that they secretly like each other, but Wally denies it.”

“What’s her name?” Mrs. West asked, a grin spreading across her face as she made her way to set the tray down by the cookies. 

“Artemis,” Wally muttered, crossing his arms.

“That’s a lovely name. Should I expect her to come over one day?” 

“Don’t hold your breath for it,” he replied. “Now if you’ll excuse us.”

His mothers chuckled slightly, gently squeezing his shoulder as she made her way out of the living room. Wally looked back at Megan, still glaring. The ginger girl just laughed at him before reaching for her milk.

“I’m going to tell Conner you cheated on him with me for this,” Wally said.

“Right, because Conner will believe that,” she replied bluntly.

Wally grinned back at her response, “Worth a shot. But really, Megan, lay off about Artemis. As charming and loveable as I am, I’m not going to be friends with everyone. Artemis is just that person for me it seems.”

“Whatever you say, Wally,” Megan replied.

The two of them sat on the couch in silence for a bit, Wally grabbing another cookie. He ate it quickly and grabbed for his glass of milk. It was half gone before Megan started talking again.

“So, do you know if we have any missions coming up?” she asked, bringing her legs up onto the couch. She folded them next to her and smoothed her skirt out. 

“No, I don’t actually,” he said, placing the glass back on the table. “I know that the three of them had something small two nights ago, but Dick said things have been slow lately. Well, slow even for them. They’re used to slow nights.” 

“I guess that makes sense. Happy Harbor isn’t the most crime filled place out there.”

“And yet we still attract assassins,” he joked. Megan laughed in response, her smile wide across her face.

Wally was about to ask her about how her own weekend when his phone started to ring. He stood up to pull it out of his back pocket. 

“Sorry, it’s Dick,” Wally said, looking up from the phone. Megan nodded and took a sip of her milk. “Hey buddy, what’s going on?”

“Bit of an emergency, actually,” his friend’s voice sounded completely calm on the other end of the phone. Wally rolled his eyes as he readied himself for new that would have a normal person sounding frantic. “So, you know how we have tons of agents that have retired and such?”

“Well duh, people age,” the ginger replied. He sat back down on the couch as Megan leaned forward to try and listen to the conversation. 

“Well, one of the old star agents has gone missing. And by missing I mean-“

“Probably captured or something,” Wally said, cutting him off. 

“It isn’t fully confirmed but after a bit of digging around, yeah, it does seem that way,” Dick explained.

“So, you want to go check out if this the old guy has actually gone missing?” the older boy asked, glancing over to Megan.

“Basically, you in?”

“Yeah. Megan’s here, by the way, do you want her to join in as well?”

“Perfect, I was going to call her after you,” Dick said. “Wait, why is Megan there?”

“We’ve started a hot affair,” Wally said, winking at the girl sitting next to him. She shoved his arm, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, so she wanted to talk about Artemis, got it,” the younger boy said, sniggering. “You should listen to her, she’s probably right. Anyway, can you guys come over to the warehouse now?”

“Yeah, we can come,” Wally muttered. He ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket. “So, we have a mission now.”

“Well, I guess we should head out then,” Megan said smiling. She stood up and started to clean up the coffee table. “What are you going to tell your mom?”

“That Dick wants me to beat him at video games,” Wally said, smirking. “It’s my normal excuse. And we do generally play video games together if the missions end early enough, so it’s not the worst lie.”

Megan nodded. Wally took the tray from her hands and walked to the kitchen where his mother was cooking. He placed the tray on the counter and tapped his mother’s shoulder. She looked up from the carrots she was peeling.

“I’m going over to Dick’s house for the night. I promise we’ll get a decent amount of sleep for school tomorrow,” Wally said, kissing her cheek.

“Is it okay if I don’t believe you?” she asked, smiling.

“Mother, are you calling me a liar?”

“I’m calling you a teenaged boy going to spend the night at his best friend’s house,” she stated, pointing a carrot at his chest.

“Mother, you wound me. Dick and I greatly value a good night’s sleep before school!” Wally exclaimed. He grinned, squeezing his mother’s shoulder before turning to leave the kitchen.

He walked into his front hall to see Megan waiting for him by the door. He grabbed a red jacket hanging in the hall before opening the door and gesturing for his friend to go first. She smiled and walked out, heading down the walkway from his house. Wally pulled his shoes on quickly and jogged after her.

\----------

“Why can’t you tell us all these things on route here? Or on route to the mission?” Wally whined, sitting on a chair the warehouse, “Why is this stupid warehouse all the time?”

“Because I don’t like explain it multiple times over the phone. Plus, I like this place, it’s kind of like our warehome clubhouse thing,” Dick replied, smirking. He was sitting in the chair next him. The ginger glared at his friend. “So relax, you’ll find out everything once we’re all here.” 

There were only four of them there, Conner and Artemis both missing. They knew Conner wouldn'yt be joining them, trying to sneak out of a family get together at a farm for a top-secret mission was not actually the easiest thing. Artemis was supposed to be there, but seemed to be running late.

“Where is Artemis, anyway?” the boy demanded, his foot beginning to tap repeatedly against the floor. “I’m tired of waiting.”

“She is obviously just running a bit late,” Kaldur said. He was standing by one of the computers, staring at the screen. Wally couldn't see what exactly was on it, but knew better than to ask. Kaldur was somewhat secretive about the whole secret agent thing and felt some things were better left alone. Shooting a look at him quickly, Kaldur continued, “And Wally, needless to remind you, but you are generally the one who is late to our gatherings and such. I believe you are the last who should judge Artemis one tardiness.”

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon, so relax Wally,” Megan said, smirking at her friend.

“Whatever,” he muttered, avoiding her stare. 

They all waited in silence. Wally kept tapping his foot. Dick pulled out his phone and started to text someone. Megan made her way over to Kaldur and the two started to talk about something Wally couldn't hear. The red head closed his eyes, trying to move his thoughts off of Artemis.

He looked over to his texting friend and sighed. Wally knew that if he tried to talk about the girl to him, it would end up with him getting an earful of being told to suck up his pride and talk about his feelings. He shook his head slightly, trying to distract himself from the thoughts.

Then, as if on cue, Artemis came running into the warehouse.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, coming to a halt in front of the Wally and Dick. She did not spare them a glance as she continued talking. “My mom need help with groceries, and it’s just the two of us at home, and I couldn’t convince that this was important enough to leave her with all the housework and then she wanted to know all about my day and I’m so sorry.”

“That is all right, Artemis, you are here now,” Kaldur said, smiling at her. “But now that you are here, I suggest we get down to business immediately.”

Dick stood up and walked over to Kaldur. Wally glanced at Artemis before focusing on his younger friend who was beginning to talk, “So, as I briefly told you all earlier, we’re going on a sort of rescue mission. I say ‘sort of’ because it hasn’t been confirmed this guy is missing yet. And I say ‘mission’ even though technically we aren’t supposed to be doing this.”

“Dick has discovered that ex-agent Kent Nelson has appeared to have gone missing. He was last seen here in Happy Harbor three days ago, and it is known, through hacking,” Kaldur said, glancing at his partner, “that he had a hideout here. Dick and I believe that Kent was tidying up in said hide out when he was potentially abducted.”

“So, we’re supposed to go find this hide out and save him?” Artemis asked, folding her arms over her chest. “Wasn’t Kent like a huge big shot before he retired?”

“Yes.”

“So, then how are we supposed to find this hideout? I mean, won’t it being really hard to find? Like, it’s great knowing it’s here in Happy Harbor, but this isn’t the smallest town out there,” the blonde continued.

“Well, it would have been hard maybe twenty, thirty years ago. Nowadays, not so much,” Dick answered, smirking. Wally rolled his eyes at this and noticed Artemis did the same. “Like Kaldur said, I already have the hideout’s location, and I mean exact location, through hacking, so we’re going to head over there immediately.”

“With this mission though, I must stress the urgency of it while also stressing the need for subtlety. We do not know for sure that Kent is missing and we do not want to draw attention to his presence here in Happy Harbor if he is safe,” Kaldur said. “We will arrive there in our regular clothing, all together. Megan will be joining us to draw less attention to our group. Wally’s presence would not be enough hide that there are multiple agents in the area around Kent’s hide out.”

Wally and Megan nodded, glancing at each other. They have lost track of the number of times they had been used as a ‘disguise’ for Dick and Kaldur.

“Let’s head out then,” Dick said. He grabbed a back at his chair as he walked past Wally. 

Wally jumped up from his chair and started to follow. Artemis fell into step beside him, her backpack already on her back. Wally looked the bag over, not really registering what it looked like on their last mission. Now he could see how she managed a bow and most likely a quiver in there, the bag was very long, and fairly wide.

“Have you heard of this Kent guy before?” Artemis asked, glancing over at Wally.

Wally nodded, quickly moving his thought from her bag, “Yeah, some stuff here and there while knowing Dick. Apparently he’s a big hotshot, though I’m not convinced.”

“Oh, and what’s got you all skeptical?”

“Come on, the guy was an agent years ago. I bet Dick, Kaldur, even you, could easily best him now. He probably did one awesome thing in his prime and it was all downhill from there,” Wally said, shrugging. “I bet I could even best him, nowadays.”

“I agree that the only guy you could best is old,” Artemis said, smirking.

“Watch it, blondie,” Wally said, “but seriously, I’m sure he was great back in the day, but what can he do now?”

“Wally, I ask myself that about you everyday,” the girl said, pushing into Wally’s side. Wally smiled and pushed back. 

The blonde laughed and looked ahead. Wally watched her as they walked out of the warehouse, making their way down the street with the rest of their group. Maybe today they were going to just take steps forward.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes are going to be at the end now.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Artemis’ voice said, cutting through the silence.

They were standing in front of a rundown four-story building. The street was filled with buildings all in similar states as the supposed hideout. Dick frowned and pulled out his phone. Wally walked up to the front door and tried to peer through the cracks between the boards on it that were covering the glass parts.

“I’m positive this is the place. I have no doubts,” Dick answered, putting his phone away. “I did say it was an old hideout, though.”

“Well it’s definitely old,” Wally said, turning back to his friends. 

“Dick, are you sure this is a real thing?” Megan asked, moving to stand next to the dark haired boy. “It doesn’t look like anyone has been here in years.”

“I don’t understand! I’m never wrong about these things. This is definitely the place!” Dick exclaimed, walking towards to the door. 

Wally moved away from the door to stand next to Artemis. They glanced at each other and Wally shrugged. He was used to Dick being a self-proclaimed know-it-all. He shoved his hands into his jeans’ pockets, sighing. Whether or not something was actually going on here, he knew that they were going to be kept at least an hour, if not longer, trying to figure it out.

Dick started to pace in front of the builder as Artemis took her turn sighing. Megan shook her head and walked over to her and Wally. The ginger boy grinned at their friend. Artemis frowned and looked away.

“I don’t understand!” Dick shouted again from the other end of the building. 

Kaldur walked over to the younger boy, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Perhaps you are thinking this over too hard. You say this is Kent’s hideout, yes? He most likely chose this for the rundown appearance to throw off those looking for him.”

“Kaldur’s right,” Artemis said, walking over quickly, “But that still doesn’t tell us how to get in.”

Kaldur frowned, looking towards the entrance of the building, “I wonder,” he said. He walked away from the two other agents slowly. When he reached the doors, he ran his hand down the wooden boards. The other four moved in closer, hoping that the doors would open.

“Of course,” Kaldur said, under his breath. He placed his hands on both doors and pushed. Easily they gave way. 

“But… How?” Wally asked, taking a step forward. 

“If you were to have looked more carefully earlier, you would have noticed a faint line down the exact middle of all the planks,” Kaldur explained, allowing the group to walk in before him. “They were never complete boards, they were just there to appear as though the door was boarded up. Kent is very clever, assuming most people will overlook it by seeing just the boards.”

“Yeah,” Artemis said quietly, leaning towards Wally, “he definitely doesn’t have much going for him. Thankfully Kaldur isn’t most people and did notice the doors.”

Wally shot a glare at the blonde and walked ahead of her, falling in time with Megan, who smiled at him. The boy didn’t see Artemis glaring. 

They all filed into what had to have been the main lobby of the building. Now it was covered in rubble, though how it got there was unclear. Papers were lying around the floor, scattered haphazardly. Wally looked around the lobby, wondering if this had all been staged like the door, to distract from the things hidden in the building. They spread out a bit to take a quick look around and then reconvened by a cracked pillar. The pillar matched three others, just a cracked, that were holding up an indoor balcony.

Kaldur looked at them all, his face grim, “We will split up and search the first three floors as quickly as we can. Once a thorough search has been of your floor, proceed to the top one. Once we have all reached that floor, we will plan what to do next.”

“Everyone please be careful,” Dick said, “we don’t want any disasters considering this isn’t an official mission. Just focus on the aster. All right, so now the pairs.”

“Hey Megs,” Wally said cutting his friend off while leaning against the pillar, “feel free to partner up with me.”

“Wally, I don’t think the two non-agents should team up,” she replied, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t knock it till you try it,” the ginger said, grinning. “I’ll probably be able to find this old coot in no time, so you might as well.”

Artemis rolled her eyes before jumping slightly at a sudden noise. It was the sound of rock cracking and echoed throughout the lobby.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded, looking around. The group looked around with her, trying to locate the source.

“I don’t know, but maybe we should move things along a bit faster,” Dick said, “Okay, Kaldur, you can handle this floor alone, I’ll take the second floor with-”

He wasn’t given the chance to finish his sentence as a large rock fell to the floor, extremely near them. They all looked up and saw that the balcony above them was cracking and now had a large hole it in. The pillar that Wally was leaning on was beginning to crack, small bits of rock already falling out.

“Run!” Kaldur shouted, pointing to a door near them. 

Dick led the group towards it as Kaldur waited until they all were moving to start running as well. Dick opened the door quickly as the balcony began to fall down completely. The door quickly closed, stopping most of the dust that was coming towards them. The groups stood in a tight circle, trying to catch their breath.

Wally looked around and saw they were in a staircase. Sighing, he straightened, looking over his friends.

“Is everyone all right?” Kaldur asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Wally answered, panting slightly. Artemis and Dick nodded, both breathing as heavily as he was.

“Oh no!” Megan said, suddenly.

“What’s wrong?”

“My sweater, it’s ruined,” she said, pulling it off. She held it up to show the now torn sweater to her friends. “It’s actually Conner’s and it’s his favourite.”

“Aw, come on, Megs, it’s fine,” Wally said, slinging his arm around her shoulders. “I think he’ll be happy to know your beautiful face survived over the sweater.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? Would you just stop?” Artemis shouted, pushing him. The small staircase went silent, the only sound coming from the falling rocks from the other side of the door. “How can you seriously be flirting with her right now? You almost got us all killed because you were trying to impress Megan! You have most definitely alerted anyone that’s here! Leaning against that pillar caused all of that and you have the nerve to flirt more? And she has a boyfriend, what’s wrong with you?”

Wally gulped, glancing at Megan. The girl was blushing and looking down. The tension in the air was so thing it could have held the balcony up from crashing. The boy rubbed his hands on his pants, looking over at Dick who was awkwardly inspecting the handrail near him.

“I’m not actually flirting with her… I mean I am, but it doesn’t mean anything,” Wally said, avoiding the blonde’s stare. “And I obviously didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“Well it did happen and it’s super weird you flirting with her,” Artemis said, her fists clenching. “Why do you even do it?”

Wally muttered something under his breath, looking down at his feet. His face was flushed, red beginning to creep onto his ears.

“It’s my fault, I should have told him to stop. Hello Megan, it was so dumb to let him continue with it,” Megan said, taking a step forward. 

“Don’t blame yourself, _he_ shouldn’t even be doing it in the first place,” Artemis said.

“Okay, well now that we’ve gotten Wally’s terrible and inappropriate flirting out of the way, let’s return to what needs to be done,” Dick said, clapping his hands together. “Now that the first floor has been destroyed, we just have to cover the remaining three. Kaldur, you’ll take the second, Megan and I will tackle the third, and Wally and Artemis, you two will take the fourth. Does this work for everyone?”

Artemis opened her mouth to respond, but a voice cut her off. 

“Yeah, let’s just go,” Wally said, looking directly at his friend.

“All right, let’s get too it,” the dark haired boy stated, starting to walk up there stairs. Megan scampered to catch up, Kaldur closely following her. Wally glanced at Artemis before making his way to and up the stairs.

They made their way up the stairs in silence. The parted with Kaldur quickly, he just nodded as he made his way onto the second floor. Dick and Megan continued in the lead as the group made its way to the next floor.

Wally nodded to his friend as Dick closed the door to the third floor. He sighed and continued their way up the stairs. Artemis walked next to him; the only sound from her was her breathing, which was steady. He glanced over at her periodically, trying to find some sort of formation for the words flying around his head. But her cold look kept him from saying anything. 

They reached the fourth floor quickly. Artemis reached to open the door but Wally’s hand flew out and caught hers.

“Wait,” he said, avoiding her eyes. Artemis glared at him, “I’m sorry, okay? I get that what happened was my fault and I get that it was extremely stupid, but let me explain. Megan, Conner, and I have been friends for a while, and before those two got together I had a thing for her. After they started dating, I guess it felt weird for me to just stop acting how I did with Megan. They didn’t seem to mind, so I didn’t stop. I’m not trying to justify what I did, I just want you to understand.”

Artemis looked him over and sighed, her hand relaxing in his, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, but it is weird.”

Wally nodded, smiling at the girl. She rolled her eyes and opened the door, gesturing for him to go through. He walked into the hall, noticing something was wrong immediately.

“Artemis… There shouldn’t be any power in this building, it’s completely run down,” he said, looking back at the blonde.

“Right,” she replied. She closed the behind them before meeting his gaze, “Your point?”

“Why is there light coming out of that room down the hall?” 

Artemis looked around him and frowned. Sure enough, she saw a yellow glow escaping from underneath a door. She looked at Wally before taking off down the hall. He followed her, wiping the sweat off his hands on his pants. They reached the door quickly. Standing on either side of it, they both leaned up against it to try and hear if there were people inside.

“I can kind sort of hear something,” Wally whispered, catching Artemis’ eye. She nodded and pressed a finger on her lips. 

She reached over to the door handle and began to slowly turn it. Her eyes were locked with Wally’s as he gulped. He was really hoping Dick had been wrong the entire time and that this Kent guy was perfectly okay on the other side of the world.

She pushed the door open slowly, looking around the frame into the room. She grimaced and reached to pull the door closed again.

“Oh, but why not just come in, little girl?” a voice called from inside, “You might as well. Bring the boy too. If not, I’ll have to come and get you and that is definitely the worst option.”

Wally and Artemis looked at each other, gulping. They knew they were screwed; they just needed to stay alive until their friends caught up. Wally could easily admit to his heart rate rising rapidly, but push come to shove, he knew Artemis could easily take down a couple guy, with his help, of course.

The ginger stood up and walked into the room first, Artemis following. He knew she would be annoyed with this, but they chances of this mission succeeding definitely depended on her staying alive more than him. His eyes quickly adjusted to the change in brightness and grimaced when he saw the scene in the room.

Kent Nelson had been captured, that had been confirmed at least. There was only one other person in the room than Kent, and Wally noticed he only looked a few years older than them, though his eyes were gleaming with malice and were much older than his face let on. Kent was sitting on a chair in next to him, tied up. His face was lined with wrinkles and his hair was almost snow white. Wally wondered why anyone would need to kidnap someone so old.

Artemis stepped up beside him, her arm pressed against his own. Wally fought the urge to grab her hand; he didn’t want them to seem weak. He stared straight ahead at the two men, hoping this night would end and he can just go to school the next day, alive.

“So, I assume you two are from the Agency,” the man said, his mouth forming into a rather terrifying grin, “and here we thought they didn’t care about you anymore, Kent. I guess we were wrong. Too bad your rescue team is now stuck with you.”

“I highly doubt that they’re the rescue team, Klarion, look at them, they’re rookies,” Kent said, placing one leg on top of the other. The man looked at him as Wally clenched his fists. “They probably don’t know anything. Just let them go.”

“Oh ho ho, I see what you’re doing,” Klarion said, turning towards him. “You won’t fool me. I’ll get this information out of you even if I have to torture you. And maybe I’ll torture it out of them too, for good measure. My employers did say whatever means necessary.”

Kent grinned and winked at the two teens. Wally frowned, unsure of why anyone but the lunatic talking about torture would grin, and looked at Artemis who kept her head facing straight ahead. Her face was tighter now than it had been when they walked into the room.

“Hey Klarion, don’t listen to Kent, the two of us obviously know about the Agency’s plans. And trust me, they know about yours, why do you think we’re here? In fact, I know even more than this guy. I’ve been at this gig for years,” Artemis said, nodding her head towards Wally.

Wally opened his mouth to say something, but the girl grabbed his arm, shooting a quick look at him. She took a couple steps forward, letting go of him. Klarion turned to her, smiling. 

“Is that so?” he asked. He walked up to Artemis, staring down at her. Wally could see her knuckles turning white and that she was starting to shake a little. He willed himself to stay where he was, he knew she had a plan and he didn’t want to ruin it. “Well, perhaps you’ll want to give up that information before I hurt you. Though… that would take the fun out of it.”

“Torturing us would probably be affective, but shouldn’t you go after me first?” Wally asked, taking a step forward. “I mean, the two of us are partners so to soften her up, hurt me. It’s the smarter thing to do.”

Klarion laughed, sending shivers down Wally’s spine. He had never heard such an eerier laugh before. He stood up straight as the man walked towards him, Artemis’ eyes following. Wally gulped when they were face to face.

“So you want to protect your little girlfriend, do you?” Klarion asked. He lifted one of his hands, which Wally noticed rather long nails on it painted black, and gripped the front of the ginger’s shirt. “I will gladly start by playing with you.”

“I don’t think so, Klarion,” Kent’s voice said from behind them. Klarion turned and yelled, seeing Kent was now free from the chair. He threw Wally to the ground across the room and started at the old man. Artemis ran to Wally and helped him up. Kent grinned and kicked the chair out at Klarion. “Kids, get out now!”

The teens charged for the door, the boy looking back to see Kent following, Klarion was one the ground slowing getting up. The three of them headed down the hall to the staircase.

Panting, Wally leaned against the door, now in the staircase. They were all trying to catch their breath now. The boy hoped that he would be enough to keep the door from opening.

“Okay, who is that guy?” he asked, glaring at Kent. 

“A freelance assassin. He started out at an extremely young age. Klarion is very hard to hire, and hared to handle. He tends to be a bit, well, extreme with carrying out his assignments. He must have some powerful employers, most people avoid hiring him,” the old man replied once he had caught his breath.

“Why are they after you?” Artemis asked.

“Well, I know the location of every single headquarter, base, hideout in the Agency, so I’m rather valuable. I normally don’t allow myself to go back to areas under the Agency protection, but I needed to find something here,” Kent explained, pulling out a pocket watch. “Now what are you two doing here? Also, names would be appreciated.”

“Uh, obviously rescuing you,” Wally muttered, continuing to glare at the man.

“I’m Artemis, and the incredibly polite person here is Wally,” Artemis said, kicking the boy’s leg. 

“Well, Artemis, we need a plan. Is it just the two of you?” he asked. The girl shook her head and waited for the man to continue. “All right. Artemis, can you go and find the rest of your group, and perhaps make a lot of noise? Wally and I will head to the roof and hope Klarion doesn’t follow us.”

“Uh, no offense to your agent skills and what not, but I’m not a part of this organization, so maybe you’ll want Artemis with you, to keep you safe,” Wally said. He made no attempt to sound nice; his voice was dry and sharp.

“No, Artemis will be useful in hopefully tricking Klarion away from us,” Kent said. “She’ll assume I’m with her, and we can hopefully find a way out of this.”

“So you’re just going to let her potentially get attacked by that creep?” the ginger exclaimed.

“Wally, relax,” Artemis said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, frowning. “This is my job, I can handle it. I’ll go find the others and we’ll come and help you two.”

And with that, the blond began to make her way down the stairs. Wally looked at Kent before gesturing him up the stairs. The boy waited for Kent to disappear before following him, hoping that Klarion wouldn’t be at the door already.

The two of them reached the roof quickly, but not before they heard the sound of a door opening. Wally gulped as he stepped out of the stairwell, hoping Kent was right about Klarion thinking he went with Artemis instead. He still wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to protect the older man. 

Wally went to stand next to the man, glancing around the rooftop. It was extremely bare and open. There was really nowhere to hide if necessary. Wally looked for any sign of a way down and grimaced. If Klarion followed, they were trapped.

“If Klarion comes up here, how screwed are we?” the boy asked, refusing to look at Kent.

“Our chances won’t be great,” was the reply. 

Wally’s hands began sweating and he started to pace. Klarion definitely went into the stairwell and he wasn’t on the roof yet. That meant he took the bait and they were going to hopefully make it out. Wally stopped pacing, looking over at Kent. He was fingering his pocket watch, gazing faintly at the door.

“Why was that important?” Wally demanded, pointing to the watch.

Kent looked at the watch before up at Wally. His eyes were sad, though there was a smile on his face, “It was from my wife, Inza. She passed away years ago and I only just got around to finding this again. She kept me in check, made sure I lived a life outside of this world. I got to show her the world and I definitely anchored her a bit as well. She was what made my life worth living.”

Wally nodded and said, “That sounds nice. You must miss her.”

“I’ll see her again one day,” Kent said, his smiling wavering only slightly, “It’s only a matter of time. You’ll understand one day what it’s like.”

As the ginger was about to say something, the door to the roof crashed opened. They both looked over quickly to see Klarion standing in it, his eyes full of fire and insanity. 

“Good, we can play here freely,” he said, walking forward. Wally made a move to stand in front of Kent, but something flew past him before he had the chance. “Now, do you really think _you_ could stop me? Though I was hoping you’d be faster and take the blunt of the knife.”

Klarion stopped walking, a knife in one of his hands. Wally looked at the knife and gasped as he realized what had just happened. He turned quickly to Kent. Klarion had pulled out two knives, one of which was now embedded into the older man’s chest. Wally yelled and ran to his side, catching him before he reached the ground.

“Kent!” he shouted, trying to ignore the fact Klarion only had to throw the second knife and this night would be over. “Come on, Kent, just stay awake! It’ll be fine.”

“Kid… Let me give you some advice,” Kent said, his voice growing weaker with each word, “You don’t have to look far to fi…”

“Kent!” he shouted again, more desperate then before. He gently shook the man, knowing that it would do nothing to help. Wally looked over at Klarion, who was now advancing again, a grin spreading across the killer’s face.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I kill him? Pity, I was supposed to torture him for information first,” Klarion said, a sigh escaping his lips. 

Wally stood up, his fist clenching. He knew that he life was in danger, but at this point he didn’t care. His only thought was to avenge the man lying on the ground. Klarion stopped again, only a few feet away, and began twirling his knife. 

“Are you next? You aren’t exactly what I hoped for, considering you probably don’t know anything, but I won’t deny it would be fun to try and get you to talk anyway,” the man said, smirking. He lifted his hand a bit before whipping the knife towards the boy.

Wally dodged it just in time and charged at the assassin, hoping he would be given the chance to lay a blow on him. Klarion stepped to the side before kicking Wally’s side, sending the boy flying. It took him a moment to recover, slowly standing up again. Klarion’s smirk widened as he moved at him again. 

Just as Klarion started to pull out another knife, a shout came from the doorway. Wally looked over slowly to see his friends come out of the stairwell running. Dick was in the lead; a pair of Eskrima sticks in hand. Klarion frowned as he looked over.

“Oh well, this was fun while it lasted but I really don’t have the time to deal with all of you,” he said, sighing. He walked pass Wally, who tried to throw a punch at him, only to be knocked down again. He headed to the edge of the building and looked back. “Until we get to have another play date.”

The assassin jumped from the building. No one ran to see if he made whatever jump he was aiming for, they all knew he would have made it. 

Wally raised himself to his knees, looking over at Kent’s motionless body. Kaldur and Dick were both standing over it, heads bowed. Megan was standing near them, hands over her mouth. Wally blinked and saw a hand in front of his face. He looked up to Artemis, her face unreadable. He took hold of her hand, letting her pull him up. His grip was almost a vice on hers; he didn’t want her to let go, not yet. Tomorrow they could go back to disliking each other, but right then he needed comfort. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, knowing he was the only one who could hear her.

Artemis took a step towards him as he bowed his head. He couldn’t watch his friend discuss with unseen people what to do with Kent’s body. He didn’t watch Megan fight tears for a person she never met. He didn’t want Artemis to see him struggling to keep his composure. He just wanted to run home and pretend this night did not happen. 

Wally opened his mouth to respond but closed it, only to squeeze her hand more. When he felt her squeeze back he finally let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. His breathing wasn’t as steady as he hoped it would be, but he didn’t care at this point. All he wanted was for this night to be over. 

Movement in front of them made Wally look up. Dick had moved over to Megan, with an arm now around her. Kaldur was still next to Kent, but no longer talking. He was gazing ahead of himself, shoulders not as broad as they normally looked. 

The ginger looked down at his hand in Artemis’, and noticed something off. There was red all over it. He looked down at his other and saw it was covered in the colour. Slowly he began to realize what it was. He let go of Artemis’ hand and stumbled away from her, his stomach turning.

The blond looked away as she heard him throw up. Once the sound subsided, she slowly walked over to him. He was on his hands and knees, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. She helped him stand up and walked him away from the spot, away from Kent’s body, away from any eyes that might be on him.

“Artemis…” he said softly, his head turned away from her. She whispered her acknowledgement before he continued, “if I start crying, just pretend you never saw it, okay?”

She was taken aback by his words, but nodded. She heard a faint thank you before his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. Artemis knelt beside him and wrapped an arm around him as his body began to shake. She looked back at the others; hoping one would come take over for her. Dick met her gaze and muttered something quickly to Megan before making his way over.

“Hey dude, come on, let’s get you home,” the younger boy said, helping Wally get to his feet. 

Once standing the two boys started for the stairwell. Artemis watched them leave and felt guilt about feeling like she had accomplished something with Wally today. For the first time she felt like she had seen him completely opened, with no mask on. It was just Wally, and she hated that that was what she took from this night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took awhile to write because I kept not wanting to deal with Kent. It just makes me sad and I wanted to avoid this. So it took forever to write. And it’s the longest chapter and sheesh I just kept adding words. Sorry I missed Friday, I really did try to get it up by then.


	6. Chapter 6

Wally was lying in the bleachers at his school. Classes were over for the day but he didn’t feel like going home. He didn’t want to face his parents who would know immediately that something was wrong, especially when he wouldn’t be able to confide in them. The day had passed by slowly and uneventfully. There were no arguments during lunch. No talking out in class. No laughter when walking down the halls. No plans to spend time together. Nothing happened and he was grateful, it gave him the time to get the strength and willpower to go home. 

Wally yawned and squinted up at the sky, fighting his closing eyelids. He hadn’t slept at all that night. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Kent dying over and over again. The whole night he had listened to Dick snore softly. How he had managed to physically make it through the day was still a mystery to him. 

The boy placed an arm over his eyes, blocking his view of the sky. He had no idea what he was going to do for the rest of the day. He knew eventually he would have to leave his hiding spot and face the world. He didn’t know what his friends were up to either, though he didn’t mind. Seeing them would only add to the number of things reminding him of the night before, and for the time being, he wanted to ignore the next part of the day.

Artemis had a similar tactic to him. Complete and utter avoidance. He saw her once during the day in the halls. They made eye contact briefly before she turned and walked the other way. He couldn’t blame her; he wanted to avoid himself as well, but he wouldn’t deny it had stung a bit. Dick was the only one to forcibly stick around him; mostly it seemed out of fear of Wally doing something stupid. He understood his friend’s actions, Dick was the only one who had seen Wally truly upset about something is the past, but he needed to be alone that day.

Wally rarely needed to be alone. He was always the one to go and comfort someone or to wait for that person to come to him. He wasn’t used to being on this side of coping. He wasn’t even sure he knew how to cope with something this big. He was the lucky one. His life had been a breeze. He had a good home, good friends, good grades – a good life. Sure he had his own issues with things, but he had places to turn. He never felt unable to reach out for help.

But this threw him. He felt every minute and every second since Kent died. Everything moved so slowly, time barely ticking away, and yet he didn’t feel like he could keep up. His life normally felt like a blur and that was comfortable. He could move on from the stuff that wasn’t good because new things kept happening. Now every second added to the weight on his shoulders. He felt every breath, no longer skipping one to make room for another. Life finally had a hold on him and Wally couldn’t break from it.

He sighed and let his eyes close under his arm. He didn’t want to doze off, but his eyes were starting to win that fight. He knew that the sleepless night and long day would take their toll on him; he had just hoped he would have been able to hold out longer. He wasn’t ready to deal with his grief both awake and asleep. He wasn’t ready to come to turns with it. 

Just as Wally felt as though he was to give into his exhaustion, he heard a voice call out his name. Slowly he opened his eyes and sat up. He sighed when he saw who it was. Conner was standing on the stairs of the bleachers. He had a backpack slung on one shoulder, arms crossed over his chest. Wally frowned. He wasn’t ready for anyone to talk to him about what had happened. He just wanted to try and deal with, or ignore, what had happened alone. He didn’t want anyone to try and help him out of the slow motion that was consuming him. 

“Go away, Conner,” he said. Conner looked at him and made his way over to the ginger. The dark haired boy grunted as he sat down, dumping his bag on top of Wally’s. “What do you want?”

“I think this is the longest we haven’t talked,” Conner said slowly, as if choosing each word precisely. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, I just felt like not talking to anyone today,” Wally muttered, looking away from his friend. He felt like there was a war waging inside of him. Half of him wanted to tell Conner everything that had happened and the other half wanted to punch his friend for trying to reach out. Wally wanted to avoid the latter; he knew punching him would only lead into his own hand getting hurt.

“Seriously, Wally? You expect me to believe that?” Conner asked, turning to look at his friend. “I’ve never seen you walk as slowly as you have today and normally the first thing you say to me after I’m back from the farm is ‘did you bring me any pie back.’”

The boy sighed a rubbed his face. He let his hand fall and returned the gaze, “It doesn’t matter. Look man, Megan probably needs you now or something. She had a rough time last night as well.”

“I’ve already talked with Megan. I’m here because you need someone, and I wasn’t there so I’m not going to try and fill in how you felt or what happened. You can talk freely with me,” Conner said. He reached over to Wally’s shoulder, grabbing it gentle. “So talk.”

Wally didn’t open his mouth. He stared ahead, thinking of what he could say, wondering if he had the words to say what was need, if he even wanted to talk. He could feel Conner’s eyes on him as much as he could feel his hand. Wally shrugged the other boy’s hand off and stood up. He took a couple steps away, his back turned to his friend.

“You know, I’ve known about Kent for awhile now. Dick told me about him when he first told me about the whole agent thing,” Wally said. “He told me how he started. He was just like us, found out about a friend in the Agency, helped that friend out on a mission, and then he got asked to join up. Just like that, gets to be an agent. And like, I get that times have changed since whenever Kent was young. I understand that. But I resented him for it.”

He paused. He wanted to see if Conner would comment. If he would say he was being ridiculous. If he would just tell him to relax and suck it up, to move on. If he would say anything at all. But his friend remained silent, a quality on which Conner could always be relied on – to be quiet when needed.

“I resented him making it in. I wanted to be like Dick and Kaldur so desperately, but apparently it’s too dangerous to just let anyone in anymore. So I did everything I could. I go on every mission I can and I give so much of my life to this stupid _Agency_ , and for what? But I get it now. I get why the Agency doesn’t want me, I can’t even save one person.”

“Wally…” Conner said softly, but didn’t continue. Wally was thankfully for his quiet friend. He couldn’t deny it was nice to get it off his chest to someone who wasn’t going to baby him. 

“I feel like everything has just stopped, which is saying something because I don’t think I’ve ever felt stuck before,” Wally said, turning back to his friend. He had a weak smile on his face, one Conner didn’t return. “I don’t really know what to do right now. I feel like I should just stop with helping Artemis, Dick, and Kaldur. Now would be the time, right? Artemis joined, so they wouldn’t really be losing anything.”

“Wally,” the black haired boy said, more force in his voice this time. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to stop. It wouldn’t do any good. And I realize I’m not good enough to be an agent,” the redhead said, sighing. “I just thought maybe if I could get through that mission things would make more sense about this whole agent thing. Like, if saving this amazing agent that started off like me would answer all the questions I had. I thought maybe this would make the Agency better for me, somehow, you know?”

Conner nodded slowly, looking down. Wally knew Conner was always a bit apprehensive about the Agency. He found out about it all when Wally and Megan did, but it turned out that his cousin, Clark, had been an agent for years. Wally knew how hard that had hit him. The two had been close when Conner was growing up, and to find out this huge secret from friends wasn’t the greatest bonding moment. He wasn’t sure if two had made up about it yet.

“Look, I might not be the one to really get advice from about the Agency, but I do know you love helping people. I don’t think that Kent guy would want you stop, especially with what happened,” Conner offered. “Wally, you’re good at what you do, and you’ve definitely been a big help to them all. Take a break if you need to, but don’t give up. And hey, apparently freelancing is working out for Roy, maybe it will for you. You’re probably too much for the Agency to handle, anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. You know, for someone super grumpy, you give some decent advance,” Wally said sitting down next to his friend, laughing a little. 

“I’ve been friends with you and Dick long enough to know how to deal with hyper active people,” the other boy joked, smiling at his friend. Wally smiled and bumped his friend’s shoulder with his. “Hey, anything else you want to get off you chest while we’re here?”

Wally’s smile wavered and he coughed into his hand. Conner looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. The ginger tried to smile again and sighed, “Yeah, actually there is. Oh man, this is just going to be awkward and I totally blame having not slept in over twenty-four hours, but I’m sorry, dude.”

“For what?”

“Being an ass to you and Megan. Look, I’ve totally been crossing a line with the flirting with her and you know, invading in on your relationship. It was pretty uncool, so, you know, I’m sorry,” Wally explained, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced at Conner, hoping bringing it up would not result in any hidden anger letting loose suddenly.

“Yeah, that was definitely weird,” he replied.

“So I’ve been told.”

“Thanks for apologizing. I didn’t really know how to deal with it, so thanks for this,” Conner said, looking at his friend. The two boys grinned at each other. Wally lifted a fist up, and rolling his eyes, Conner bumped his against it, “Are you going to talk to Megan about it?”

“Yeah, definitely. I assume she told you about what happened. I feel pretty shit, so I’ll take her out for ice cream or something and give her a proper apology,” the redhead said, stretching his arms up over his head. 

“Do you want to head out or are you going to hang around here more? I have to meet up Megan now, and I think Dick is waiting for you,” Conner said, standing up. He bent over and picked up the two backpacks, handing one to Wally.

“Yeah, I should get home and maybe finally sleep,” he answered, standing up. He took his bag from his friend and slung it over a shoulder. Conner turned and began to make his way off the bleachers, Wally following.

They walked in silence through to and through the school. Both boys seemed to be comfortably lost in thought. Wally enjoyed when it was just the two of them, it gave him a good reason to slow down. Better than the reason that was still hanging over him. He still didn’t feel okay. He still felt every second still pressing down on him, but was starting to feel manageable. 

When they walked out of the school, Wally glared at his friend. Conner seemed to be trying to keep from smiling. Dick and Megan were waiting for them, but so were Artemis and Kaldur. The ginger punched his friend in the arm as they made their way to their friends, “You said it was just Dick and Megan.”

“No, I said I was meeting up with Megan and Dick might be waiting. I didn’t lie, I just left out I that everyone was waiting,” Conner replied, a smirk fully on his face now. 

Dick moved forward to sling an arm around Wally when the two reached the group, “Hey man, we’re all going to get ice cream if you want to join.”

“I actually think I’m going to go home and sleep finally,” Wally answered, snaking out from under his friend’s arm. “But I’ll walk with you as far as I can.”

Everyone nodded and the group started out. Wally walked in the back, watching the sidewalk glide past with every step. He could hear his friends talking ahead of him and smiled. He didn’t need to join in, but hearing them talk made him grateful to have them there. Each step he took made it seem like the ground was going by faster. He finally felt like the world was gradually starting to get back to its usual pace.

As he watched the ground move by with each step, Wally saw from the corner of his eye a pair of heeled feet fall in time next to him. He didn’t need to look up to know who it was. The two of them didn’t say anything to each other as they followed their group.

When they got to where Wally had to turn off, Megan gave him a quick hug, telling him to get enough rest and that they were all looking forward to his perkiness coming back. The other three waved and heading down the road, Artemis hanging back. 

“One of these days you’re going to have to stop lollygagging on my behalf,” Wally said, smiling at her. 

“Right,” she answered, looking down. 

They stood in silence, Wally watching her as she kept her eyes down. He wanted to thank her for what she had done. For being there with him at the end of the night. For not judging him when he broke down. For accepting his raw self. But all the words to express this got caught in his throat and all he could manage was a small cough to try and clear it. Wally glanced down the sidewalk to see their friends waiting for her to catch up, all of them trying to look somewhere other than at them.

“You really should get going, you don’t want to make them wait anymore,” Wally said, rubbing the back of his head as he turned back to Artemis.

The blonde looked up and sighed. Just as he thought she was going to head off, she walked forward and wrapped her arms around him. Wally let his one arm fall and placed it on the small of her back. His head fell on her shoulder. After a few beats he felt her loosen the grip and they pulled apart. Artemis smiled at him faintly.

“Get some sleep,” she said, brushing some of her hair that fell into her face, tucking it behind an ear. He only just noticed her hair was down, and couldn’t help but stare a bit. He had to admit, to himself, that he definitely liked her with her hair down.

“Yeah,” he answered. She nodded and began to walk away. Quickly, he reached out and grabbed her hand. “And Artemis, thanks.”

She nodded again without looking back. Wally let go and watched her lightly jog to catch up with their friends. He looked away once they started on their way and began to make his own way home, a faint smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a slow chapter, but I wanted that to help get across that things aren’t okay for Wally. Hopefully that worked. This chapter was hard to write cause Conner and Wally’s friendship makes me really sad, so writing them hurts a bit. But I feel like I did them justice. ALSO I’m taking a bit of break, so chapter 7 won’t be up next weekend, but the week after. I’m just a bit burnt out from writing at the moment and have hit a huge block. Hopefully the block will pass painlessly.


	7. Chapter 7

“I’m so booooored,” Wally whined, drawing out the first syllable as long as he could. He looked to his friend, perched on the ledge of the building they were hiding out on. Dick didn’t spare him a glance, eyes glued on the building across the street from them. “Seriously man, we have been here for hours, you’ve got to be a little bored.”

The black haired boy sighed, jumping down from the ledge. He smirked at his friend quickly before turning his attention back to the building, “Of course I’m bored, but a tip’s a tip, so we’re going to be sitting here all night if we have to.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” the ginger muttered, resting his arms the ledge. “I just wish the bad guys did things earlier in the day so I could actually get sleep.”

“Do I have to remind you that you volunteer?” 

“Shut up, Dick,” he muttered in reply, only receiving a cackle in response. He moved his attention back to the building, sighing as the same two securities guards made their rounds. He saw one was eating something and groaned. “I’m also starving.”

“You’re always starving,” his friend answered. Wally felt something hit him in the head and he looked down. A granola bar was lying at his feet. Eyeing his friend, he picked it up. “What? I knew you would get hungry. Now, would you please focus?”

Both boys smiled and looked at the building. The guards disappeared from their sight and they went back to staring at nothing. They hadn’t heard anything from the other pair, Artemis and Kaldur, or from Megan and Conner back in the warehouse. The night had been extremely dull with no change in the building since it closed. Wally was impressed he hadn’t fallen asleep yet, though the five-minute rooftop jogs he had been taking helped a lot. 

“I think I’m going to agree with you, Wally,” Dick said after awhile. The boy slumped down, his upper body hanging off the side of the ledge. “This is the absolute worst. Luthor, come on, just get the evil doing over with!”

“Right? Like, be a punctual bad guy!” Wally exclaimed. “Why is it always like this?”

“The man’s evil, obviously,” the black haired boy joked, turning his head towards him. “He also doesn’t have school at eight-thirty in the morning.”

“The worst,” Wally muttered, resting his chin on the ledge. He lifted his hand to his ear, pressing the comm in it. “Hey, Artemis, you guys seen anything in the back yet?”

 _“Nothing but security guards. I’m assuming you haven’t seen anything either,”_ her voice said into both boys’ ears. 

“That would be accurate,” Dick answered. “Kaldur, are we positive about this tip?” 

_“Yes. It came from Agent Kent. He is convinced that Lex Luthor is up to something questionable. The other agents seem to agree. Then Agent Kent heard that the shipment would arrive today on October sixteenth. Now please focus. We will continue to wait until the night is over or the alleged shipment arrives.”_ Kaldur said calmly.

Wally sighed. Kaldur always managed to make them feel like they had been goofing off; granted they normally were, but still, “Do we have any idea at all what this shipment is going to be?”

 _“No. Agent Kent was not sure of that part,”_ the calmer teen answered.

 _“That’s why you guys are out there, Wally,”_ Megan voiced chimed in. _“So stop whining over the comm, Conner and I have to listen to that. It’s really annoying.”_

Wally heard laughter that was clearly Artemis’, which annoyed him, knowing she was doing that on purpose.

 _“Plus, radio silence is important. Stop trying to chat with Artemis and focus,”_ Conner said, and Wally swore he could hear the smirk on Conner’s face. He made a mental note to remind his friend when it was appropriate to call him out, ignoring the fact that he subconsciously agreed about try to chat with Artemis.

He moved his chin onto his hand, staring blankly at the building again.

“So, how are you and Artemis, by the way?” Dick asked after a couple of minutes of silence. Wally’s head slipped of his hand, almost hitting the ledge. Dick laughed, reaching over to pat the boy’s shoulder. “Sorry, didn’t mean to shock you.”

“Why do you care?” Wally asked, frowning at his friend.

“Well, you two seem to be doing well, but you know, nothing is coming from it. One minute you’re all smiles and hugging, the next you’re about to tear each other’s throats out,” the younger boy said, shrugging his shoulders. He turned his attention back to across the street. “It’s a bit hard to follow at times.”

Wally opened his mouth to answer but quickly changed his mind. He looked up at the sky, trying to formulate a decent enough response. The two of them waited in silence as he tried to catch up with his thoughts. A strong part of him wanted to say that Artemis and he were barely friends and it would most likely stay that way.

But then there was the part that wanted more. He wanted to only have the good moments. The moments when they forgot that they were supposed to always be annoyed with each other. He wanted the quiet walks home they had more frequently as the days went by. He wanted the tender moments like when they hugged the week before. He wanted to grab hold of every smile they shared. 

“I don’t know,” he finally answered. “I think it’s even harder for us to follow, you know? I guess we’re just a go with the flow pair, but the flow is more like rapids.”

Dick snorted, “Yeah, that would be accurate.”

“But seriously, who knows where Artemis and I stand. I’m sure we’ll figure it out and become friends, like proper friends, but until then all hands on deck,” Wally said, sighing. “Could we not talk about this, she stresses me out enough and I already think about this way too much.”

The words were out of his mouth before his brain could stop them. His friends joked that his track abilities came from the fact his body could never agree on one speed. His feet would get him across the finish line before his brain could say ‘hey we shouldn’t run that fast it’ll hurt’. Today it was his mouth being too fast.

“You think about it a lot?” Dick asked, smirking at his friend. Wally groaned and slid down the ledge, sitting down hard on the roof. “What else about Artemis do you think about a lot? Do you think about kissing her?”

“Oh god I need a new best friend. I always forget you’re a thirteen year old,” the ginger whined. 

“Yes, but a generally mature one, where as you’re an immature fifteen year old. We balance out. Now answer my question,” the thirteen year old said, lightly kicking Wally’s side.

“I’m going to not answer because you’ll use it as blackmail later in my life and I’m pretty sure you already enough of that,” he answered.

Dick laughed and looked back at the building, “Wally get up, the shipments here!”

Wally jumped up quickly, ignoring the lightheadedness the hit him as a result. Sure enough, a line of trucks was on the street down below, waiting for the garage door to open. Dick was talking into the comm quickly describing the scene when Wally’s eyes landed on the biggest surprise of the night.

“Is that Lex Luthor down there? In person?” He asked, pointing. There was a bald, extremely well dressed man standing by the garage door, talking to a man in a plain jumpsuit. Behind the bald man was a young woman with light brown hair.

Dick’s head snapped in the direction his friend was pointing and frowned, “What’s he doing here? This is such a minor branch of LexCorp, why would he be… unless this isn’t really about LexCorp.”

“He shouldn’t even be here though. He’s supposed to be in Gotham tonight for some business party with all the hot shots of the world. I read about in the newspaper this morning,” he added the last bit as friend glanced at him questioningly. 

“This is definitely not a good thing,” Dick whispered to himself. “Megan, can you try and hack into LexCorp’s stuff? I know it’ll be hard from there and without me, but this shipment is obviously more important than Agent Kent thought. Conner, I know this is a lot to ask, but could you call up your cousin and see if he has any ideas?”

Wally heard a grumbled yes and looked at Dick, “So what do we do now? We can’t try and get a closer look with Luthor down there. Too much bad blood with you agents.”

“Hopefully these will work. If I can get what’s on one label we’ll be golden,” Dick said while reaching into the bag next to him and pulling out a pair of binoculars. Wally nodded and focused on the group across the street. 

“Ugh, I can’t figure anything out! This is ridiculous!” Dick exclaimed, trying to focus the binoculars again. “Every time I almost get something they all move!”

“Maybe Luthor is assuming he’s being watched?” Wally asked, his head resting on his hand. “I mean he is pretty legit, right?”

“Too ‘legit’ at times,” the young boy said. He ran his hand over his face quickly and looked through the binoculars again. “Nothing’s happening at all… Wait.”

“You’ve found something?” Wally asked, lifting his head up to look at the boy.

“No, lost something. Where did that lady with Luthor go?”

Wally looked across the street and frowned. As Dick had said, the young woman with Lex Luthor was missing. He looked over every person and couldn’t spot her. 

“Do you think we should warn the others?” he asked.

“Oh, there’s more of you?” a voice said behind them. The two boys turned around and gasped. The woman who was with Lex was now standing on the roof, two burly men with her. “So the Agency got a tip it seemed. Lex will be pleased; he was worried you had fallen off you game. Though sending the children is a bit harsh. And people say Lex is a cruel man.”

“No chance of you just letting us go and us just pretending we never saw anything?” Wally asked, sizing the two men up. He gulped a little when he noticed that there were guns on their hips. He glanced at Dick who seemed far calmer, though very far from ease.

The woman smirked and nodded her head. The two men started at the boys. Dick was already moving, flipping over one of men and kicking his head. Wally began to wish he had practiced hand-to-hand combat a bit more with his friend as he dodged the first punch thrown at him. After what felt like the longest ten minutes of his life, Wally finally knocked his guy to the ground, turning to face the woman. 

“That all you got?” he asked, smudging the blood that was running down his cheek. Dick had just finished tying up the man. The black haired looked up and smirked. “We could do this all night.”

The woman smiled, “Well maybe you should make sure that you finished your first job before asking for more.”

Wally gave her a quizzical look before being knocked on the ground. He groaned and squinted. The man he had been fighting was back on his feet and running at Dick. Wally slowly made his way to his feet only to have a foot collide with his stomach. He stumbled backwards, looking up. The woman was advancing on him. He threw a punch at her but she caught it in her hand.

“Really, is that all you can do?” she asked. She quickly kneed him and tossed him to the side of her. 

As Wally landed, he heard the definite sound of bone breaking. He groaned and looked down. He had landed on his wrist and was sure it was now broken. Using his elbow, he pushed himself into a sitting position. He watched as the woman made her was towards him. 

“Not going to ask for mercy?” she asked, smirking. 

“I won’t need to,” he answered, his eyes now looking behind her. “Be thankful we’re the good guys.”

She stared at him before collapsing. Dick had been standing her, now trying to catch his breath.

“Geez Wally, you were almost useless tonight,” Dick said, reaching a hand out to him. He pulled the ginger to his feet. “Thinking about Artemis too much?”

“See, this is why I didn’t answer your question earlier – blackmail,” he said now cradling his injured wrist. “I think she broke my wrist.”

“Oh man, I’m sorry,” the boy said, looking down at his hand. “We’ll get you over to a hospital, unless you want _Artemis_ to kiss it better.”

“Wow you are definitely the worst friend ever,” Wally exclaimed. “I’m injured working for you and this is my thanks?”

“Come on, I’ll tell the others that we’re heading out and that unfortunately this mission was a failure. Luthor is going to send more men soon to find these ones,” Dick said, patting his friend on the shoulder. Wally stuck his tongue out and then nodded. 

Soon the four teens met up a few blocks away from the building and Wally regretted ever turning up that night. Dick started laughing the moment Artemis looked concerned for Wally while Kaldur hovered over him to insure he was indeed as fine as he stated. He finally just started walking down the road forcing his friends to stop bothering him and to just follow.  
Artemis was walking next to him, a faintly smile on her face.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked, not bother to hide the irritation in his voice.

“Nothing really,” she answered. She glanced at him and then quickly looked ahead again. 

“What is it?” he asked.

“I just can’t help but think you being around keeps us all safe,” she said.

“Wow… Um, thank you?” Wally said. He was sure his eyes were extremely wide in that moment.

“I mean, no one seems to get hurt on missions your on because you take all the hard hitting blows. You’re like a magnet to injuries,” Artemis said, now laughing.

Wally frowned and looked back at his other friends. Dick was already laughing and Wally could see the faint smile on Kaldur’s face, “Oh, thanks guys, way to make the injured guy feel better!”

“Relax, Wall-man. You’ll get you cast and we’ll all sign it and you’ll feel much better,” Dick said once he controlled his laughter.

“Whatever,” the ginger said, stalking off ahead of the group. He sighed as he realized he then had to come up with a story for his family and friends at school. Yeah, he definitely was going to start working on his fighting more. 

Wally promised himself that the next mission would not result in any injuries, at least not around his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My usual ‘I’m sorry this took so long oh man this was a hard chapter to write wow I promise to get the next chapter up faster’ bit is necessary again it seems. I will try to be better. But yes, this was a thing. Sorry it took so long, personal and all being all personal, you know how that is. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed the chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Wally opened his eyes and looked at his watch. The time told him his nap had only been one hour, and there were still two hours left on the flight. He groaned and slouched in his chair. Next to him Dick was reading an extremely large book. Wally watched him turn a page before becoming even more bored.

“Dude, this flight is taking forever,” he said, leaning his head on the chair in front of him. 

“Yeah, that’s cause it takes almost five hours to get to Utah, relax,” his friend answered, turning another page. “Seriously Wally, you can survive another two hours.”

“Yeah, but will we?” Artemis asked, her head peeking over one of the chairs in front of them. She was directly in front of Kaldur who had been asleep the entire flight and showed no signs of waking.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wally asked, glaring at the blonde. 

“Well first off you snore very loudly and secondly when you’re awake you never shut up,” she said, smirking. “How are any of us supposed to sleep?”

“Well Kaldur has been sleeping the whole flight, so you’re already wrong,” the ginger argued back. He glared at the girl who began to laugh. “Dick, back me up.”

“Oh, I’m not getting involved in your version of flirting,” the younger boy said while lifting his book in front of his face. “Have fun without me.”

“We are so not flirting,” Artemis said, the strain in her voice to keep from yelling was apparent. “We never flirt, strictly argue.”

“I do believe, my friends, that you are indeed flirting. Now please, do it quietly. I want to sleep for the rest of the flight,” Kaldur’s voice said. His eyes were still closed and he didn’t seem pleased that his friends had bothered him at all.

Dick started to laugh from behind his book and both the ‘non-flirting’ teens began to blush. The two of them looked at each other before Artemis quickly dropped back into her seat, her mane of hair falling slowly after her. 

Wally frowned and reached into the pocket before him for his iPod. He winced slightly as he bang his cast wrist against the armrest. Looking down at it, he noticed a drawing of an arrow had joined the other drawings and signatures. Frowning, he decided it was best to not draw attention to it. He pressed play, hoping that some music would help distract him from the situation, but immediately turned it off. Of course the first song play reminded him of her. He sighed and slouched further into his chair. 

Minutes went by as he mindlessly traced the arrow on his cast until the ginger thought of something that would amuse him. He pulled out a notebook from his backpack and tore out a piece of paper. He crumpled it up and smirked.

“I know what you’re about to do and I’m begging you not to,” Dick said, putting his book down.

“Oh come on, it’ll be hilarious. Watch,” Wally said. He moved into a squat on his chair and began to aim. After a few seconds, he tossed the paper over the chairs. His eyes were bright as he watched the crumpled ball fly until it bounced off the person next to Artemis, Conner.

Wally went white, knowing how much Conner hated when Wally dragged him into his petty arguments, “Oh shit.”

He could hear Artemis laughing now and the younger boy next to him had his face in his hands. Wally quickly sat down in his chair and went to grab his iPod again.

“Wally… I think you dropped this,” Conner said. Wally gulped and looked up. The boy was turned in his chair, the crumple paper in hand. “Here, have it back.”

Wally flinched as the paper collided with his head. Artemis’ laugh had gotten louder and was joined by Megan’s now. The ginger groaned his apologies to Conner and went back to slouching in his seat.

“When will this flight be over?” he grumbled.

\--------------------

The six teenagers were sitting under a large canopy in silence. The desert heat was bearing down on them even from in the safety of the shade. They were all sitting away from each other, avoiding any extra heat. They knew this wouldn’t last since the sun was beginning to set, but it didn’t stop them from feeling uncomfortable for the time being.

They were waiting for the two adults standing at the table in front of them to finish their conversation. Wally knew both of them fairly well from the years of helping Dick and Kaldur. 

One was a woman, Agent Dinah Lance, who trained the three younger agents in hand-to-hand combat. She had been with the Agency for years and was one of the highest-ranking females agents. The man with her was rather infamous in the Agency, and Wally could easily say this man made him the super uncomfortable. Bruce Wayne was one of the agents at the top and he also happened to be Dick’s guardian. The day Wally found out about Dick’s double life he was sure Bruce was going to kill him; he still wasn’t sure why that hadn’t happened. 

While Wally was remained indifferent about the two top ranking agents, other than the constant fear for his life around his friend’s guardian, the blond near him seemed rather uneasy. She was playing with the end of her ponytail, something he had noticed she did when she was stressed. Shuffling to sit next to her, the ginger grabbed Artemis’ hand with his good one and gave it a quick squeeze.

“Don’t stress about them being here,” he said quietly to her. She met his gaze and smiled faintly. “Seriously, I get that those two are hotshots and whatnot, but seriously don’t even worry about it. Just, you know, stay out of Bruce’s way, he’s a bit of a hardass.”

“Right, thanks,” she answered, her smile becoming more prominent.

Wally nodded and turned his focus back to the adults. They seemed to be finishing up and he had to admit he was getting anxious to start.

Finally, Dinah began to speak, “All right, so you’re probably wondering why we’re out in the middle of a desert. Well, after your somewhat successful recon mission, we started looking at LexCorp a bit closer. It seems that Luthor had been over seeing large shipments like the one you witnessed across the country, all at smaller locations. This raised a few eyebrows around the Agency. After more digging, well… We found out that Luthor was doing just that, digging. He’s here in the desert overseeing a dig. What he’s digging for, we have no idea.”

“That’s why you are here,” Bruce said, gesturing for the teens to gather round the table. Once they were there, he continued. “You’re our covert team, some of you more covert than others. You aren’t known as much to our enemies and will have an easier time getting close.”

“It helps that Dick is so tiny, they’ll never see him coming,” Wally interrupted, clapping a hand onto Dick’s shoulder. The younger boy rolled his eyes.

“As I was saying, you aren’t known. This is an advantage we’re going to take. Now, we’re here and this is where Luthor is digging,” Bruce explained, his finger travelling across a map that was spread out on the table. “You six will go to this point here, roughly four miles away from the dig. It will serve as a rendezvous during the mission. If _anything_ goes wrong at any point, head back there. Once you arrive there the first, and hopefully only, time you will separate into pairs to cover more ground. Dick and Conner, you’ll be a pair, Artemis and Megan, and Kaldur and Wally. Any questions?”

“What should we do when we find something, do you want us to radio in to you?” Dick asked.

“No, keep radio silence. Had the last reconnaissance mission been a complete success I wouldn’t worry, but Luthor knows we suspect him now. He’ll have people listening in,” Bruce answered. Wally could have sworn that the man had briefly looked both Dick and him over, though he could have just imagined it. “You will report back here promptly at five a.m. and hopefully will have more success tonight.”

“Now, your bags have been packed for you. Everything you’ll need is in there. You head out in ten minutes,” Dinah said, crossing her arms. “Now, Wally, Megan, and Conner, I don’t think I need to stress how important it is for you all to stay out of harms way… as much as possible. We don’t need to add creating more lies to your parents to the list of things the Agency has to do. No more limp breaking, okay?”

“Yes ma’am!” Wally said, saluting her with his injured hand. Dinah rolled her eyes and smiled. He grinned back and headed over to grab his bag. 

“So, grateful we aren’t paired up again?” Artemis asked, put her arm through one of her backpack’s straps. “Though I feel bad for Kaldur, getting the most annoying partner.”

“At least he knows I can keep him awake,” Wally replied, smirking. 

“Yeah, but you’d rather be keeping Artemis awake I bet,” Dick whispered into his ear. 

“Dude, stop!” Wally said, shoving the boy away from him, ignoring Artemis’ looks. He grabbed his backpack and walked over to Kaldur and Megan. He must have had a sour look on his face because both his friends seemed to tense up. He looked down at his cast and frowned when he saw the arrow again. 

“All right, boys and girls, time to head out. Please be careful out there, don’t get caught or seen,” Dinah announced. 

The six teenagers nodded and made their way out of the tent, Dick in the lead. The sun was slowly making its way pass the horizon and the group could feel the temperature beginning to drop. They were moving quickly, trying to reach the splitting point before night fell completely.

Artemis was walking next to the ginger, though neither of them said anything. Their four friends were chatting quietly ahead of them and they tried to ignore the glances they were getting. He felt bad for ignoring her, but he really didn’t need Dick bugging him more about this. It wasn’t like he liked the girl, but his friend had made it a mission to bother him about it. 

“All right guys, we’re here,” Dick said after a half hour walk, folding up a map. “So, just to quickly go over everything without Bruce being a downer. So you know, don’t get seen and don’t die. And you know, find out what Luthor’s up to.”

“Wow, thank you Dick, that was definitely helpful,” Artemis laughed.

“Hey, did anyone else just hear something?” Conner asked, looking around. 

Everyone glanced at Conner before looking around. They were near a cliff to their left while to their right seemed almost endless. The sun had almost set completely and it was beginning to get dark, making it very hard to see.

“Conner, you have freakish hearing. It was probably just a hare or something running by,” Wally said.

“Maybe…” the tall dark haired boy answered. He began to look around the desert, his eyebrows creasing. 

“Dude, it’s probably nothing. Should we split up now?” the ginger boy asked.

“Yeah. All right. Wally and Kaldur, you two head to the south side of the dig. Artemis and Megan, you go to the west, Conner and I will grab the east. Everyone cool-”

They didn’t hear the end of the question. A small explosion going off near them cut off Dick’s words suddenly. The teens got up after the blast knocked them off their feet. 

“Run!” Dick shouted, taking off quickly, running away from where the explosion had gone off.

Wally reached out and grabbed Artemis’ hand and started to run. They tried to follow after Dick but were cut off by another blast. The ginger quickly turned them away from it and continued running. 

“Where are we going?” Artemis shouted, her voice barely audible over another explosion going off.

“No idea, somewhere we can keep our legs!” he shouted back, unsure if she heard his answer. He squeezed her hand as if the convey the answer through touch.

He wasn’t sure how long they ran for or where they were going to end up. For all he knew, they would end up running into Luthor himself. All he knew was they needed to get as much distance between them and whatever was causing the explosions as they could. After what felt like hours of running, they finally stopped, gasping for air. 

“Did you see what happened to the others?” Artemis asked once her breathing had gotten back to normal. “Did they make it out?”

“I don’t know but I would assume so. I mean, they’re obviously going to be fine, I’m on this mission,” Wally said, trying to smile. “I’m the one that gets hurt.”

Artemis laughed weakly and began to look around, “Any idea where we are?”

“Uh… no. Do you think they gave us a map in our bags?” Wally asked, taking off his backpack. He quickly opened it and began searching inside it. “I mean, they wouldn’t send us out here without a map cause you know, I’m on the team and stuff. Ah ha! Found it!” 

Artemis moved closer as the boy pulled the map out, as well as a flashlight, which he handed to her. Once she pointed the light at the paper he frowned.

“What?”

“Well, the rendezvous point is marked here, but I don’t know what direction we ran in. And now the sun has basically set, so we won’t be able to use that for direction soon. Any idea of which way we ran?” Wally asked, looking at the girl.

“Yeah,” she answered, “we went roughly east. We’ve got to be somewhere around here.”

She pointed at the map and Wally grinned, “Hey, we’re really close to the digging site.”

“No, you can’t be serious! We should go find the others, meet up with them somewhere!” Artemis exclaimed.

“Yeah, meet where? In case you didn’t realize, it was our _rendezvous_ point that got blown up! And besides, this probably what Kaldur and Dick would want us to do, it’s for sure what Bruce would want,” Wally said, folding up the map. “Let’s just head over there. Maybe the others will think to do it too.”

Artemis began to chew her lip and crossed her arms. Wally watched her, putting the map in his back pocket. Finally the girl sighed and he knew he had won.

“Fine, but I swear if you get us killed,” Artemis said, pointing a finger at him.

Grinning, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it, “Come on, Artemis, I only get people maimed.”

Artemis opened her mouth but closed it again, smiling. She squeezed his hand back before starting to walk in the direction of the dig, “Let’s go get maimed then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got ourselves a two parter here. I could have put it all into one really long one again (like the Kent Nelson chapter) but I thought it would be fun to do it in two parts. I also just want to make a shout out to my friend who’s been editing every chapter. She’s the reason these are all presentable. Thanks hon.


	9. Chapter 9

Wally and Artemis were lying on their stomachs as they gazed down into the digging site. They rested on the top of a hill a fair distance away using binoculars to watch what was happening. They had been there an hour since being separated from the rest of the team and they had nothing to show for it. Wally lowered his binoculars and rubbed his face.

“I hate reconnaissance missions. I hate the desert. I hate that we don’t know where our friends are,” he muttered before getting back to watching the dig site.

“That’s why I wanted to go find our friends. But no, they would totally be here so we just had to go,” Artemis said now glaring at him. “Seriously, we’re getting nothing.”

“Yeah I realized that. Look, let’s just wait another hour then go look, does that sound good?” the ginger asked, returning her gaze. “Or do you want to run off on your own again? It’d give the bad guys a chance to hurt me. Bet you’d love that.”

The girl rolled her eyes at him and went back to watching the scene below them. Wally turned his attention back as well and they lay there in silence. Minutes ticked by and every single one put the ginger more on edge. They hadn’t risked trying to radio their group in case that put them all in danger again, but the not knowing was more stress than he needed.

“Wally,” Artemis said after awhile, placing her binoculars down. He followed suit, turning his head to her. “What’s your problem with me? I mean, sometimes we’re totally fine but other times I feel like you actually hate me.”

“Yeah, well, same goes for you,” he answered, darting his eyes away from her.

“Really? We’re going to play that game, because I’ll win. I have a sister, I’ll definitely win this,” she said, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “I only acted that way because of you. I only ever started with it all when it was a joke. You’re the one who starts off with just being plain rude.”

Wally frowned and turned away from her and onto his back. He stared up at the night sky trying to grab hold of his thoughts. He felt closer to the stars at the moment than to what he wanted to say. Well, some of what he wanted to say. Dick had mostly likely planted some of the thoughts zipping around his mind, causing him more stress than necessary. Thoughts of things he wanted to confess to the girl next to him, and there was no chance he risked breathing air into them. Sighing, he looked over to her.

“Look, I don’t really have a problem with you. It’s just… It felt like you were a replacement…” he finally said.

“For Roy? The ex-agent guy?” she asked, resting her head on her hand. Her eyes started searching his for answers making him blink. “I kind of am though, right? That’s why the Agency sent me. To fill in the whole he left.”

“No, not Roy, well yeah for Roy, but more for me. I don’t know. It just felt like the Agency was once again reminding me that I’m only here because they allow me to tag along and to never expect to be more,” Wally said quietly. He looked back up at the sky, shrugging awkwardly. “I felt threatened, I guess. It’s dumb, I mean I was never an important player, but I thought maybe I’d have a shot at be one for once.”

“Oh…” Artemis whispered. He could hear her shift where she was lying. He glanced to see her now on her back as well. “Well, I definitely think you’re important to the team. I mean, who else will break all our falls?”

Wally laughed and reached over to bump her shoulder with his cast, “Thanks. So, should we get back to work? Imagine if Dick walked in on this. I shudder at the thought.”

They both laughed and turned back around. They went back to looking through their binoculars. They didn’t talk anymore but the air around them was no longer filled with tension. They watched the scene below in comfortable silence. Minutes went by and they saw nothing more than the workers continuing their digging. Wally was about to give up when Artemis gasped.

“What is it?” he asked unsure of where to look, at her or at the dig. 

“Lex is there, with someone else,” she whispered, as if afraid the people below would be able to hear her. “Look, over by the tent. I don’t recognize the man, but that’s definitely Lex Luthor with him.”

Wally turned his vision to where the girl pointed and frowned. She was right about Luthor being there. The other man, very tall and large scars across his face, was a mystery to him as well. Even so, the ginger felt like he had seen him somewhere before but couldn’t place his finger on it. He tried to focus the binoculars to get a closer look.

The two teens watched the men talk, both wishing they had super hearing. Whatever was being discussed seemed to be extremely important. They had watching the men talk to each other for a while when the mystery man stepped into the tent. Moments later he returned with a brief case in hand. Smiling, Luthor accepted it and they shook hands.

Wally placed his hand on Artemis’ shoulder and gestured for them to move away. Slowly, the two of them inched away from the edge. Once they knew they were out of sight completely, they stood up.

“We need to go find the others now. Whatever that guy gave Luthor can’t be good,” the girl said as she put her binoculars away. “I say we start walking around the perimeter of the dig site and hope we run into the others.”

She looked up from her bag and frowned. Wally was just smirking at her and she raised an eyebrow at him. 

“What? I like how you take charge. It’s very tough,” he said, shrugging. “And it’s a good plan, so let’s get to it. Lead the way, legit agent lady.”

She rolled her eyes and began walking. He followed after her, eyes drifting over the landscape around him. He had always wanted to visit a desert, though being almost blown up in one hadn’t been on his desert to do list. He admired the surroundings as they made their way through the ever-growing blackness of the desert. They soon found themselves walking along side a cliff; both put on edge by the vulnerability this gave them.

They had been walking for what felt like an hour when they heard a noise. They looked at each other quickly and then around them for somewhere to hide. Frowning due to the lack of hiding places, they noticed the only place possible was around the corner of the cliff, which was where they had heard the sound. Wally gulped, hoping that this time it was in fact a hare.

It was better than a hare.

“Megan!” Artemis shouted, running towards the girl now coming in view. Kaldur walked around the corner next and Wally let out a sigh following after the blonde. “You guys are okay!”

“Yes, we managed to avoid injury in the blast. I hope both of you are without injury,” Kaldur asked as the ginger clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“No more than what we arrived with,” Wally answered. “Any sign of Dick and Conner?”

“No, we were hoping you guys had seen them,” Megan said somberly as she let Artemis out of her hug. “We’ve been trying to find them, but we haven’t been able to find anything to even try and track them.”

“I take it that you both have been without luck of finding them,” the taller boy said. The blonde shook her head and Kaldur sighed.

“We do have some good, well kind of good, news,” Wally said. “We were watching the dig site for awhile and we saw some stuff.”

“Luthor is here,” Artemis continued, “and there’s someone else doing business with him. We aren’t sure who he was though.”

“Can you give me a description?” Megan asked, pulling out a small tablet from her bag. “He could be in our database. Thank goodness I have that downloaded.”

“He was really tall and sort of long dark brown hair. He definitely works out in his spare time. Oh, and he has a couple of scars across his face. Very scary,” the ginger boy said, tracing on his own face where the scars were.

“Vandal Savage…” Kaldur whispered. They all turned to look at him, Megan lowering her tablet. Frowning, he continued, “His name is Vandal Savage. He is one of the more elite criminals the Agency has dealt with in the past. He has not been active in a few years now, or so we thought. The fact that he has resurfaced is troubling. What were Lex Luthor and he doing?”

“Mostly just talking. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, their heads were turned away enough that I couldn’t even try to read their lips,” Artemis said. “Eventually this Savage guy gave Luthor a briefcase. We left after that to avoid staying out our welcome and to find you guys.”

“That is troubling. The idea of Lex Luthor and Vandal Savage working together raises more alarms than is comfortable,” Kaldur said, rubbing his temples. “We need to find the others and leave. While this mission has now been successful, it will not stay that way unless we can locate Dick and Conner.”

“Well, Dick is going to be easy to find. Look,” Wally said, pointing to the cliff side. The others looked up and grinned as they saw the youngest of their group rappelling down the side. They all rushed over as he unhooked himself for the line. “Way to show up late, Grayson.”

“At least I arrived. Where’s Conner?” Dick asked. 

“We don’t know yet,” Megan said, the worry in her voice prominent. “He’s okay though, right? Nothing bad has happened to him?”

“I’m sure he’s off somewhere feeling the aster, Megs, don’t worry,” the youngest boy said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find him and be out of here in no time. So, anyone see which way he ran?”

They all shook their heads and Dick frowned. Megan was starting to wring her hands until Kaldur gently placed his on them. Smiling weakly she stopped, though the boy left his hands in place.

“Okay, there are two options for what happened. Okay, there are three, but we’ll just ignore the third. The first is Conner is in fact off somewhere hiding and the second is he got captured,” Dick said, holding up two fingers. 

“So, we go after him?” Wally asked, grinning. “Guns a-blazing?”

“Of course,” the boy grinned back.

“This is going to be a mess, isn’t it?” Artemis asked. She groaned when both boys’ grins widened and high fived each other.

\-----------------

“Okay, so you two are going to _just_ going to go in and grab him. Do not try and get justice for Conner. We know he’s still in there, so just get him out. Once you do, break radio silence to tell us you’re out and pray we all run out of here fast enough,” Dick explained.

“Once the three of you are out of here, safely make your way back to the new rendezvous. Do not take any unnecessary risks, understood?” Kaldur asked. Both Megan and Artemis nodded, the blonde readjusting her quiver on her back. “Good. Be careful.”

The blonde glanced at Wally quickly, offering a smile. He tried to return it but knew his face gave away his concern. Artemis looked like she was going to say something when the other girl tugged on her sleeve. Sighing, she grabbed her bow.

“You sure this is going to work, Dick?” Wally asked as he watched the two girls quickly run off from the tent they had all been hiding behind.

“No, but hey, we’ve done stupider things before that have worked out fine. And then when we do normal, average missions you get super injured, so you should be fine,” Dick answered, grinning. 

“I’m not worried about us,” he muttered, staring at where the girls had been.

“She’ll be fine, you know she can handle herself. Besides, we’re the ones going to be getting all the attacks, we’re charging in through the front doors,” the black haired boy said.

“Are both of you ready?” Kaldur asked, looking around the edge of the tent. Dick pulled out his Eskrima sticks and Wally grabbed the long staff he nicked from the tent they were behind, both boys nodding. Kaldur nodded and began running out from their hiding spot. They followed, the ginger running to the left while the other boy to the right of their friend. 

Quickly the boys found themselves under fire. Grateful for the fact he was quite the runner, Wally found it easy to avoid getting injured for once, though he wasn’t having the luck his friends were having taking out the guards on the site. Quickly the ginger hide behind a stack of crates, catching his breath. He glanced around the crates trying to find an opening to draw the fire away from his friends. There around thirty guards, all armed and all firing at will. There was no sign of Lex Luthor or Vandal Savage, to which Wally was grateful for. That Vandal guy seemed like a piece of work.

“Come on girls, hurry up,” he muttered under his breath as he began to make his way across the site. He grinned as he saw the opportunity to take out a guard heading towards the tent they knew Conner was in. Quickly knocking the guard out, Wally found himself back-to-back with his younger friend. 

“How’s it hanging, Wall-man?” Dick asked, panting slightly.

“Oh you know, same old same old. Not dying, driving people nuts” the ginger laughed. “How’s it going on your end?”

“Also driving everyone I come into contact with crazy. It’s almost like they’ve never dealt with a fairly acrobatic guy before,” the boy said. 

They laughed as they started running in opposite directions from each other. Wally was heading towards another pile of crates, hoping he could try and use it to his advantage.

Suddenly, guard charged at him and Wally dived to the ground and did a roll behind him. Jumping to his feet, the boy kicked the man in the back, a move he picked up from Artemis the week before. Grinning, he headed towards Kaldur. He whacked the person coming up behind his friend and offered a thumbs up to him. Nodding, the taller boy punched the man he was fighting before running off. 

“We’ve got Conner, get out now!” Artemis’ voice rang into all their ears. Wally jumped slightly, forgetting he had the earpiece in even though it was part of the plan. 

He started towards a clearing between to tents. He ran as fast as he could as a guard began to follow him. In a second he turned around to knock the guard down before making his way out. Wally felt an energy pulsing through him. While he wasn’t the most trained fighter, the excitement and adrenaline charging him was something he didn’t think he would ever be able to give up. 

When he finally made it to the rendezvous, the girls and Conner where already waiting. Conner was having his chest bandaged by Megan. He smiled weakly as the ginger ran up to them. He looked tired but seemed in good health. The ginger was accepting a water bottle from Artemis when Kaldur and Dick arrived. 

“Conner, how are you feeling?” Kaldur asked, squatting next to him. 

“I’ll live,” the boy grumbled. “I don’t ever want to come to the desert again, but I’ll live.”

“I have to ask Conner, and I’m really sorry cause I just want to enjoy the fact you’re alive, but did you tell them anything?” Dick asked. “We need to know.”

“No, they didn’t ask me anything. Luthor came in at one point to talk about Clark a bit, but he didn’t ask anything at all about the Agency. He seemed to know a lot as it was. He kept bragging about how they had an informant or something,” the injured boy explained. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a name.”

“No friend, you did well,” Kaldur said, resting a hand on his shoulder. He then stood up and smiled at them. “Good work today, everyone. We have learned some things about Luthor’s operation and we have all made it back.”

“But an informant, dude that sounds serious,” Wally said. “Don’t you all get screened super hardcore before joining?”

“Yes, but this would not be the first time an agent has made mistakes. I would not stress about this too much,” Kaldur answered. “The Agency will be informed. If there is indeed a mole, they’ll find he or she.”

“Come on guys, lighten up!” Dick said. “If there’s a mole, they’ll be dealt with. It’s none of our business at this point. Can we just enjoy the fact none of us died today?”

“Yet, we still have to explain what happened to Bruce,” Wally groaned. “He’ll probably kill us.”

“I’m sure he’ll be proud of how we handled ourselves,” Megan said as she helped Conner put his shirt back on. “And if not, Dinah will be able to help us argue with him.”

“I’m just grateful we aren’t sitting near him on the flight back,” Artemis said.

“That would be worst than death,” the ginger boy said. “Dick, please just let him know none of this was my fault. I do want to go over to your house again one day.”

“I’m sorry, did you say blame everything on you? Deal,” the boy said smirking. Wally yelled and took off after his friend, who was now running off towards their base camp. 

Once they all got there, they were relieved to find out that Bruce was just grateful they were alive, though the agent did say he would go over the many flaws in the mission with them when they returned to Happy Habor. They soon piled into the jeep they had arrived in and all began to dose off as they began driving. 

Artemis was sitting next to Wally and the boy soon felt her head fall onto his shoulder. He knew he should say something, especially with Dick grinning at him, but he was so exhausted he didn’t care. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall and rest against hers, hoping she wouldn’t be angry when they woke up. At the moment though, Wally just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what helps you writing? Not having Internet that functions properly. It’s been going on and off all week and then the day I finished this chapter it wasn’t on at all. Lots of writing happened. Fun fact, my Internet went out the day after I had course selection for university. I feel like throwing up thinking about the possibility of my Internet going out that day instead. Uuuuuugh. Of course, when I finish this and when I post this will be super far apart. I hate my Internet server at the moment. (Also somewhere in the process of this chapter I turned 20. Gross.)


	10. Chapter 10

The phone went off right in his ear at five a.m., waking him up with a jolt. Wally groaned as he picked up the phone. He looked at the caller I.D. and had to resist the urge to throw his phone across his bedroom. 

“What do you want?” he asked once he answered it. “It’s five in the morning, this better be good.”

“ _It is, well it’s a good reason to call, the thing itself… Not so good. Dude,_ ” Dick said on the other end, “ _I’m really sorry but I’ve got to bail on our plans for today. I know I said we’d celebrate your birthday, but I just got called out on a mission._ ”

“Oh…” Wally whispered. “That’s cool, it’s totally fine. The Agency comes first.”

“ _I’m so sorry. I know you’re already bummed your birthday’s on a Monday, but apparently this is super important and Bruce is overseeing it himself,_ ” the boy explained. 

“No, no, it’s totally cool. We can always hang out after school tomorrow. Really, it’s fine. Are you guys going to need help?” he asked, readjusting the blanket over his legs.

“ _Actually, yeah, if you’re willing. Megan and Conner aren’t going to be back from the Kent’s farm, so if you can hang at the warehouse to run thing on that end…_ ” Dick said nervously. He was very aware of his friend’s dislike of being left behind. 

“Sure, whatever. I don’t have plans for today anymore, and this way I won’t have to see relatives,” Wally answered.

“ _Dude, you love your family,_ ” the boy over the phone laughed. 

“Yeah, but I’m turning sixteen. Uncle Barry will try to make this huge deal out of it and Aunt Iris will definitely not take my side and then my parents,” the ginger rattled on. “Not how I want to spend the day. Just dinner? Fine. But a whole day? No way.”

“ _Well, we’ll be glad to have you helping us,_ ” Dick said. “ _We’re going to be leaving at around nine it looks like though I’m sure Bruce wants earlier. So I guess get down to the warehouse by eight if you can._ ”

“Sure, no problem,” he answered. 

“ _Great! I’ll see you there,_ ” and with the other end went silent.

Wally lay back down on his bed. Frowning, he tossed his phone to the end of it and looked up at his ceiling. He wanted to yell out his frustration but didn’t want to make the morning worse than it already was; walking him mother this early would basically be a death wish. He sighed and rubbed his face with his good hand. He knew he should go back to sleep for at least an hour, but his head was buzzing.

Things had been weird since the out of town mission. There was the fact that somewhere in the Agency there was a mole and they had no idea who it was. From what Wally had heard from Dick, they had begun questioning every agent but it wasn’t getting them anywhere. That, and the number of missions escalating; the ginger found he spent less and less time with his agent friends. 

This also meant he was spending less time with Artemis and this bothered him the most, much to his best friend’s delight, annoyingly. After their talk in the desert, he thought thing finally would have gotten better been them. He even thought that maybe things would start head in the direction of becoming really good friends, though he ignored the part of him that was hoping for even more than that. But now he rarely saw her, even at school the girl seemed to find excuses for why they couldn’t spend time together. She stopped waiting around for him so they could walk home together. Two weeks had passed and Wally was beginning to wonder if he had done something stupid again.

Sighing, the boy got out of bed and stretched before making his way to the washroom, grabbing his towel as he left his room. He showered quickly and got dressed, throwing on whatever was lying on his messy floor. He tried to fix his hair up before heading downstairs to eat something.

“Wally, why are you up already?” his mother asked when he walked into the kitchen. 

“Meeting up early with Dick. He wants to get an early start on Fringe so I can be home for dinner,” he answered grabbing a pair of frozen waffles from the freezer. He put them in the toaster as he continued, “I know, crazy best friend, but I know dinner’s important cause everyone’s busy for my actual birthday.”

“Well, as a way to make it up, we’ll have a late dinner and we’ll let you open your presents. Sound like a good idea?” she asked.

“Sounds perfect, Mom. I’ll be home for seven. See you tonight,” he said, kissing her cheek. He grabbed his waffles with a quick yelp before running out of the kitchen, ignoring his mother’s call of no running in the house. He quickly put his shoes and jacket on with the waffles in his mouth and headed out the door. 

The walk to the warehouse would take about an hour, though Wally made sure he had enough time to get there. He finished the waffles quickly and regretted not grabbing more food. He hoped that his friend would think ahead and stock up the warehouse with snacks, or else the ginger was going to be pissed. He grinned at the amount of money the Agency had to spend on food for him when on missions out of town. Wally’s friends always wondered where all the food he at went. 

The ginger arrived at the warehouse ten minutes early and was still the last to arrive. He walked over to the other teens, ignoring Dick’s guardian standing at the computers nearby. Wally bumped fists with his younger friend while grinning at Artemis and Kaldur. The girl rolled her eyes and looked away. Before he could say anything, Bruce began to talk.

“Now that we’re all here, I just want to remind everyone how a reconnaissance mission is supposed to work. Radio silence as much as possible, no actual contact with those being observed, and no reckless actions. Are we all on the same page?” the older agent asked, eyes rest on both Dick and Wally longer than the other two present. “We will be outside of LexCorp again today and for as long as I say. Any questions? No? Good, we leave in five minutes.”

And with that the man made his way out of the warehouse. Wally sighed and made his way over to the computers. He smiled at the pile of chocolate bars near him, mentally thanking his friend for doing it. The ginger watched his friends get ready as he set up the computer and comm link. While he was nowhere near as good at using these as Dick, or even Megan and Conner, he was far from bad at it.

“Dude, we’ll see you in awhile. I’ll make sure that Bruce lets you go before you need to be home for dinner. And I definitely though I’d see you longer before we left,” Dick called over to him as the three agents began to leave.

Wally nodded and sat down in the chair at the table. He watched his friends leave and sighed once he was alone. While he was always willing to help, he was relieved he wouldn’t be seeing anyone today. He understood that the mission comes first, but it did make it harder to want to continue helping the Agency. 

The ginger watched the computer as time passed. Every now and then he would get word from one of his friends or Bruce about the mission and he would pass on any information that they needed. Dick was definitely right; Wally really didn’t like this part of working with agents. 

Six o’clock came round and Wally was half asleep. Nothing had happened the whole day. The most exciting thing was when Dick and he were told of for playing word games over the comm and when he tried to get Artemis to talk to him, according to Bruce the comms weren’t for personal use. Finally he was given the okay to leave from Dick’s guardian for the day, and was told he didn’t have to wait around for them to return. The boy cleaned up the mess of wrappers around him and left, somewhat disappointed. This was not the day he had had planned.

The walk home felt longer than the way over, filled occasionally by a next from his best friend apologizing for how the day turned out and how he would make up for it later. He got a couple other texts from Kaldur and from Megan and Conner, both hoping that the evening with his family went well and he got a lot of presents. He didn’t hear one word from Artemis.

When he got home, his spirits immediately lifted when he saw his aunt and uncle through the living room window. He took back not wanting to spend a day with them, it would have been better than what he had been through so far. He raced into the house, excitement radiating off of him. He was greeted warmly by his family, his aunt rushing over to hug him tightly.

“It’s so good to see you, Wally,” she said as she let go. “I can’t believe you’re sixteen tomorrow. Remember when you were just a kid whose best friend was his aunt?”

“Yes, Aunt Iris, thanks for reminding everyone what a dork I was in elementary school,” Wally groaned, though there was a smile on his face.

“What happened there, Kid?” his uncle asked walking over, point at his cast.

Wally gulped and tried to keep the smile on his face, “Oh, you know, messing around with Dick at school. I fell in the bleachers.”

“Right,” the man answered, giving his nephew a questioning look.

“Iris, dear, can you help me in here? Rudy will be home soon and I want dinner on the table before that so we can eat as soon as possible. Wally, Barry, you two go and do whatever you two do,” Wally’s mother called from the kitchen. 

“Yes, Mom,” he answered. He looked at his uncle and smiled awkwardly before heading up the stairs to his bedroom. 

Once they were in there Wally let out a sigh. His uncle knew about the ‘extra curricular activities’ he got up to. He had found out almost immediately when Wally had started getting random and pretty nasty injuries that had accompanied the first few missions. Barry put some of it together and the boy had to come clean. He didn’t mind that much though, it was nice to finally talk to someone about it without lying for once.

“So, how did you really get that?” Barry asked, sitting at on the desk chair. The boy explained the failed mission from a few weeks ago and his uncle frowned. “Wally that could have gone so much worse.”

“It was mostly under control. Dick had me covered. I didn’t die or anything,” the ginger boy said proudly, sitting down on his bed. He avoided the man’s eyes as they sat in silence for a moment. Then, in a much quieter voice, “Please don’t tell my parents.”

Barry sighed and rubbed his temples, “You know I already promised I wouldn’t say anything. But Kid, seriously, this is getting dangerous. Ever since you actually started going out on these missions… Wait a minute. Where were you a couple weekends ago? Your mom said you went to the Wayne family’s cottage, but now I’m doubting that.”

“Um… We may have gone off to a desert for an over night mission,” the boy muttered. “I know hanging with Dick is a tired excuse, but it still works.”

“I’m just worried about you, Wally. I don’t want you running yourself into the ground one day. But I’m going to add more to our deal to keep me silent. If it looks like you’re going to die at any point, you stop. Got it? I’m not losing my favourite nephew,” the blond man said, leaning forward in his chair.

“Yeah… I’m your only nephew,” the teen answered, throwing a pillow across the room. His uncle laughed and easily ducked out of the way. “But okay. And trust me, I’ll be fine. I promise nothing too terrible will happen to me. Well, nothing caused by the mission at least.”

“Oh, are there people problems in your life?” Barry asked, leaning back in the chair. He grinned as he waited for his nephew to answer.

“A person problem. It’s really confusing,” he answered, slouching and crossing his arms. “She’s been avoiding me for a couple weeks now, and she didn’t say anything to me when I saw her today at the agent warehouse place.”

“Wait, are you telling me you have girl problems?” his uncle asked, the grin spreading even more across his face. His nephew blushed, causing him to laugh. “You know you can talk to me about that if you want.”

“No, it’s fine. I mean, it’s not and I’m annoyed she won’t talk to me anymore, but we’ll work it out. We go through a bunch of weird ups and downs all the time. We just happen to be on a down right now,” Wally explained. 

“Wait, is this about that Artemis girl? The one that really annoys you? I thought you hated her,” Barry said. 

“Well, we may have moved on from hating and are now on the path to being friends, maybe even good friends. But now the avoiding thing has happened,” he explained, rubbing his face. “It’s really frustrating. We had this kind of important talk about where we stood with each other when we were in the desert and when we were heading back things seemed great. I just don’t understand her. It doesn’t really matter though, we’ll work it out.”

“And that’s all that’s bothering you? Nothing else on your mind about her, about how you feel about her?” his uncle smirked.

“What, no, of course not! We’re just friend, come on!” Wally shouted.

“If you say so. Want to head downstairs? I’m sure your dad will be here soon,” the man said standing up. The ginger nodded and made his way to the door and opening it for his uncle. As they walked downstairs, he continued, “So you definitely do like this girl, right?”

“Uncle Barry!” Wally shouted, stumbling down the rest of the steps. “Seriously not cool!”

His uncle just laughed and headed towards the dining room. 

The dinner went by smoothly, though Wally’s uncle did try to bring up that a girl was causing him problems. Eventually that game grew old and the family just talked about how excited they were for the boy’s future, much to his embarrassment. The evening slowly passed into the night, not that anyone seemed to mind. Eventually Wally’s aunt and uncle did leave.

“Kid, just before I go, I have a present for you,” his uncle called to him from the hallway. The ginger made his way over to him and smiled. “So, eventually track is going to start up again and I thought it would be pretty nice if you had a new jacket for training in. This is mine from back when I ran in college. It’ll be a bit big on you now, but you’re definitely going to grow into it.”

Wally’s mouth gaped a little as he accepted the jacket. It was a red, now somewhat fade, with yellow lines up the side of the sleeves. On the inside collar it has his uncle’s initials in faded pen. Already next to them were his initials in a much darker black.

“I… Wow, I don’t know what to say,” he said quietly. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Wall-man,” Barry said, ruffling his hair a bit. “Happy birthday.”

And with that, he left. Wally stood in the hallway in a daze; trying to get control of the emotions his uncle gave him with this gift. Eventually he hung the jacket up in his room and changed out of his clothes into a pair of sweatpants. After tossing his clothes onto the ground, he lay down on his bed. 

It was getting late now, every minute getting closer to midnight. His eyes drifted close as he thought over how strange of a day it had been. He began wondering what the home life for his agent friends was like. Did they just switch off the day’s events and act like normal teens with their families or did they have to be on edge like during the mission? 

He began to wondered what it would be like if his parents did know. Would they be as accepting as his uncle or would they freak out? Laughing quietly to himself, he pushed the thoughts out of his mind. There was no way he was going to tell his parents about everything. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them; he just didn’t want to deal with what Bruce would do.

Just as he was about to fall asleep when his phone went off. Sighing, he fumbled around his bed until he found it. It was a text message from Artemis. He chest tightened slightly as he opened the message.

_From Artemis Cock:  
If you’re awake call me._

Frowning, he looked at the time on his phone, curious about how late it had gotten. It was past midnight and he had no idea what she could want. Why wait over twelve hours to talk when they saw each other that morning. Sighing, Wally pressed call. 

“ _Wally?_ ” her voice said after one ring.

“What do you want? It’s kind of late,” the boy answered, keeping his voice hushed. He was sure his parents would be asleep by now and didn’t want them waking up.

“ _I’m outside your house. Get out here,_ ” she answered.

“Wait, what?”

“ _Just coming outside!_ ” and with that the phone call ended.

Wally stared at it before trying to quietly get off his bed and out of him room. He grabbed a sweater on his way out and tripped trying to get the sweater over his cast, then tiptoed down the stairs. He shoved his phone into the front pockets of the sweater absentmindedly. 

He crept his way to the front door with a practiced ease from all the nights of sneaking down to the kitchen during the night. He only came across a problem when he had to find his shoes. After a few minutes of rummaging around the floor of the front hall, he managed to leave the house. 

Artemis waved at him as he walked towards her. Her hair was in a messy bun and she was wear what Wally guessed were yoga pants and a dark green hoodie. Before he could say anything, she tossed him a package that he caught with ease. 

“Happy birthday,” she said once he was standing in front of her. “It’s not much, but I thought it would be useful, since you’re always late.” 

Wally furrowed his brows and he opened the somewhat poorly wrapped package. He then opened the box within and smiled. He pulled out a simple black watch, already ticking away. He looked up at Artemis who was smiling with a faint blush dancing across her cheeks he could see due to a nearby streetlamp. He ran quickly back towards his house to throw out the wrapping then back to the girl, a smile still taking over his face. 

“Wow, thanks,” he said quietly as he tried to get the watch on his good wrist. After a few moments of watching him struggle, Artemis stepped forward and took the watch from him. They silently watched her put the watch on together. When she finished, Wally found himself gentle holding her hand in his. “Thanks.” 

“It was nothing,” the blonde whispered, avoiding his gaze. “Think of it as also my way of apologizing for kind of avoiding you these past few weeks. Sorry about that.” 

“That’s fine. I mean, I missed walking home with you, but it’s fine. You needed you’re space, I get it,” Wally said, stumbling slightly over his words. “Just, do you think you can promise not to do it again? Turns out, and I know this is super shocking for the both of us, but I actually like spending time with you.” 

Artemis laughed and squeezed his hand. He had forgotten he was still holding it, almost like their hands were meant to hold the other. He smiled and started laughing as well. 

When they stopped, she smiled and answered, finally looking back at him, “Surprise, I enjoy spending time with you too. But you have to promise the same, no avoiding me.” 

Wally grinned and gently shook the hand he was holding once, “Deal. And thank you again, the watch is really nice.” 

“I bought awhile ago when Megan made me go shopping with her. She kept talking about how your birthday was coming up, almost like she was hinting that I should get you something,” Artemis said, eyes gleaming. 

Wally chuckled and just began to admire her. He liked how the tip of her nose and ears where slightly pink from the cooler temperatures. Her cheeks were still dusted with a faint blush, though that could have been from the cold as well. He liked how her hoodie hung nicely from her shoulder and how he could see a part of her collarbone. He liked her hair in the messy bun on her head. He liked that she was standing there with him. He was beyond ecstatic that she was the first person he saw on his birthday. 

“So, I have to ask,” he said, finally breaking the silence between them, “why are you here? I mean, tonight? Why not just wait until school tomorrow?” 

“I wanted to talk to you alone. And I mean actually alone,” Artemis answered, shrugging slightly. “I didn’t want Grayson eavesdropping or something.” 

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Wally said, grinning. “He’s kind of a pain.” 

“I’ve noticed,” she laughed. Her eyes were bright for how dark they were, especially at night. Wally decided that he was happy to stare into them for as long as the world would let him. 

After standing still for a while, the blonde took a step closer and the ginger noticed just how much taller he was than her. It wasn’t by much, but enough for the girl to have to slightly tilt her head back a bit to now look into his eyes. He was becoming aware of just how close they were standing in front of each other now. He had to look down to look in her eyes and could now feel her breath on his face. It sent shivers through his body, and it seemed his breath was doing the same to her. The air around them seemed to fill with electricity and made his skin come to life. Wally was certain that his heart was racing the fastest it ever had; more than on any mission he had been on. 

He then noticed a strain of her had fallen onto her face. He let go of her hand and slowly he ghosted his hand up the side of her arm, taking his time, allowing himself to feel every shiver go through the girl’s body. Gently, and barely touching her face, he pushed the hair away and tucked it behind her ear. His hand stayed in place though, gently holding the side of her head. 

At some point they had both stopped breathing. Their eyes were locked together and time felt like it had stilled. Not like it had over a month ago when he felt like he had lost everything about himself. No, this felt completely right. It wasn’t heavy but there was strength to it. It was like the two of them belonged in moments like this one. 

He wasn’t sure who started moving, but soon they were both leaning towards each other. Wally was moving the slowest he had ever in his life; trying to make sure each second was stored in his mind for the rest of his life. They were only millimeters away from each other now and Wally felt like he could die happy in this moment. 

Then his phone started ringing. The two teens jumped apart in shock, both now trying to catch their breath. He pulled his phone out of his hoodie’s pocket; completely forgetting he had brought the phone along. He answered it, sending an apologetic look to Artemis. 

“Hello?” he said, unsure of who was calling this late. 

“ _Happy birthday, Wally!_ ” Megan’s voice yelled from the other end. In the background he could here Conner repeat the words. “ _Welcome to the world of sixteen!_ ” 

“Wow, uh, thanks Megs,” Wally said, rubbing the back of his head. He hoped that his breathing was under control enough so the girl on the phone wouldn’t think something had almost just happened. 

“ _I just wanted to try and be the first to wish it to you today. Did I make it?_ ” she asked enthusiastically. 

“Um, no, Artemis already wished me it. She’s actually…” he began to say until he saw the blonde begin to shake her head. “Um, she phoned me about ten minutes ago. Dick forced her or something apparently. But sorry Megan, you came in second.” 

“ _Well, as long as it was Artemis how beat me. I’ll let you go now, see you at school!_ ” she basically sang into the phone before hanging up. 

Putting his phone pack into his sweater pocket, Wally let out a huge sigh and looked over at the girl. He felt his heart rate rising and realized just how sweaty his hands were. Were they this sweating much earlier? 

“So…” he said quietly, taking a step towards her. 

“I… I should probably go home. I don’t want my mom to worry,” Artemis said quickly, avoiding his eyes. Wally frowned and his shoulders slumped. He couldn’t hide his disappointment from her words. She took a step away from him before looking back at his eyes. “Happy birthday, Wally.” 

“Yeah,” he said, trying to smile at her. He wanted to reach other and pull her back to him. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. He wanted to slowly lean into her again, to feel the same energy again. He wanted to go back to before the phone call. “I guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow, uh, later today.” 

Artemis laughed awkwardly before turning away and walking down the street. He had half a mind to run after her and kiss her, to just get it over with, but the moment had passed. It would be the same as before and Wally wanted their first kiss, if they ever actually managed to get there, to mean something. 

Sighing, he watched her disappear into the night and headed back into his house. He locked the front door and slowly managed his way back to his room. He felt deflated and he just wanted to go to sleep. Once he was in his room he pulled his sweater off, his stupid phone still in the pocket, and flopped onto his bed. He fell asleep quickly to the sound of a soft ticking coming from his wrist. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well… this is a lot longer than I expected it to be. And that was with me cutting out a hunk of the original outline for this chapter. I was planning around 3000 words because this was just the domestic stuff in the story, it didn’t need to be long. Well, I guess I just got super into it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It has my favourite thing to write in it. It was just a lot of fun to write. Oh, while writing this, I realized I had completely forgotten to add Barry into this fic. I’m glad I remembered in time to actually add him in.


	11. Chapter 11

“I’m sorry, but I’m just so excited. I can’t believe we’re going to actually meet her!” Megan said excitedly from the middle of the van. Conner was sitting next to her, a faint smile on his face as he watched her. “This _is_ Marie Logan we’re talking about. All of her work is just so amazing! Everything she has done for animal rights, as well as all the animals she has save in general, she’s just so amazing!”

“We know Megs, it’s all you’ve been talking about the past hour,” Wally said, laughing slightly. He was sitting in the back of the van between Artemis and Dick, his now uncast arm resting being the blonde girl’s head, absentmindedly playing with her hair. “I think I can give the same spiel about her now.”

“At least she actually knows something about who we’re protecting,” Artemis said, nudging the boy’s side. “I bet you learned everything about Marie Logan just now.”

The ginger boy grinned at her but didn’t answer. She smirked back at him before turning her attention to out the window. Dick mimed vomiting as the couple in the middle seats laughed. Wally blushed a bit but remained silent. 

“Artemis is right, though, Wally,” Kaldur said from the passenger seat in the front of the van. “It is important for us all to know about Marie Logan’s work. It will help us all understand why she is being targeted.”

“I know, I know, keep an eye out for anything. Geez Kaldur, it’s like you think I’m impatient or something and can’t focus,” the boy in the back joked.

Everyone laughed and Megan started talking about Marie Logan’s work again. The woman ran an animal reserve and was an animal’s rights activist. They were heading on information that a known enemy of the Agency had settled in the area. She went by the name Queen Bee, though Wally couldn’t remember what her actual name was. The woman’s goons had broken into the reserve once already but didn’t manage to take anything. Their job was to find out what was being targeted and transport it back with them the next day to keep it safe. As well as insure that Marie Logan and her son were kept alive.

“Okay, we’re here,” the driver said. Conner shifted awkwardly in his seat as the driver turned to look at all of them. He looked almost exactly like Conner, but about fifteen years older. Clark Kent smiled. “Everyone out, time to meet Marie Logan.”

Megan squealed a little before hurriedly getting out of the van. Conner followed after her quickly, avoiding his cousin’s gaze, the rest at a slower pace. Artemis and Wally walked in time together as Dick went with the older agent. 

“So, are you going to be all girly and run off to pet all the animals?” Wally asked, smirking at the blonde. 

“Of course, think of all those dangerous animals here. What’s a girl not to love?” she answered. “What about you? Going to go see if there are any baby horses or something to cry over? Those are the manly animals, right?”

“Alright, you got me,” the ginger answered, shoving Artemis slightly. She pushed back before running ahead to where the rest of the team had now stopped. Wally followed after grinning. He went to stand next to his young friend who was grinning at him. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Dick whispered to him as a woman approached them. “Check it out, she looks like an older version of Megan.”

The older boy looked the approaching woman and tried not to look shocked. His friend was right, Megan and her looked like they could be easily related. Looking around at his group, Dick wasn’t the only one who noticed. Everyone was glancing between Megan and the woman. 

“Ms. Logan, it’s good to finally meet you,” Clark said, walking over to shake her hand. “We’re sorry that we have to intrude on yours and your son’s lives, but we do believe it is necessary.”

“As long as you’re all gone tomorrow and we don’t have to worry in the future anymore, I think we can deal with it,” she answered, shaking Clark’s hand. “Also as long as my son doesn’t get too many ideas in his head.”

“We’ll do our best,” the man answered, laughing. “Now, this is the team. Here are Kaldur and Dick, they have been with the Agency for a while now and will be in charge of your protection. That’s Artemis, another agent. And these are Wally, Conner, and-”

“Megan, Megan Morse. I’m a huge fan of your work. Everything you’ve done for animals and their right. It is such an honour to meet you,” the girl interrupted. 

“Oh, right. Well, I’m glad there are so many of you here. Hopefully this night will go smoothly,” Marie Logan said, trying to hold back an amused smile. “I guess I’ll show all of you around the property and see if we can find my son.”

Megan nodded and followed along side Marie, firing off a stream of questions. Quietly behind them, both Kent men walked side by side. The rest of them took up the rear.

“Wow, Megan really is excited,” Artemis said, smiling. 

“I’m excited too,” Wally stated. He lifted his hand up in the air, grinning. “This is my first mission now that the cast is off. Can I just, moving my wrist has never been so amazing.”

“Just in time to potentially get beat up by a new set of bad guys,” the young dark hair boy said. “We’ll make sure you get the most to fight.”

“Bring it,” the ginger answered, punching the air in front of him. Artemis laughed which made his heart jump towards his throat. He’d never admit it out loud (or deny it out loud) that he was really happy with how things were with her since his birthday. They hadn’t talked at all about the fact that they had almost kissed, but their relationship was going in a direction he liked. They had done typical date things the past week, though if anyone commented they both went on the defense. Whatever it was that they had, for it was just for them, and it worked.

The group walked around the reserve. There were animals all over the property; they even got to pet a few. Marie explained what her work was, how she started, and a few plans for the future. For a while, Wally felt like they were a regular group of kids on a school trip, it helped they were missing school for this. He could pretend for a while that they wouldn’t all be in danger come nightfall. He could pretend that he would maybe get the courage to ask Artemis out because the fear of one of them dying wouldn’t be there. He could pretend that they were all equals.

“Mom! Mom, are these the agents? Can they show me cool tricks? Do you think they’ll let me join when I’m older?” a young boys voice shouted, pulling Wally out of his thoughts. Glancing around, he saw a young ginger boy running towards them, a monkey hanging onto his shoulder. “Mom, can I hang out with them when they aren’t working?”

“Slow down, Garfield,” Marie said. “Yes, these are the agents and no you won’t be hanging out with them, they’re going to be working the whole time they’re here.”

“Oh…” he said, deflating slightly.

As if on cue, Megan bent over and reached a hand out to the monkey on the boy’s shoulder. “What’s his name?” she asked as the monkey sniffed her fingers.

“Monkey,” Garfield answered. “It suits him, I think.”

“Good name, though I’m not a fan of monkeys,” Conner said, walking over to the two gingers. 

Garfield laughed as Marie announced that they should keep moving if they’re going to see the whole property before nightfall. The young boy walked along side Megan, holding onto her hand and talking away. Conner followed after smiling.

\--------------

Artemis sat down next to Wally on the Logan’s front porch steps after walking around the house. Night was falling quickly now and they had all partnered up to watch to reserve. For the time being, Wally and Artemis were stationed at the house.

“Do you think that anything is really going to happen?” Wally asked, leaning back. 

“I would say no, but considering we can barely make it through a simple reconnaissance mission without getting hurt or blowing something up, I’m sure something will happen,” the blonde answered. “Try not to be the one who gets hurt this time.”

“I make no promises,” he laughed. She joined his laughing briefly before they fell into a comfortable silence, staring out at the grounds before them. They could see animals moving around their compounds and in the distance they saw the faint outline of Megan and Conner passing by on their walk around the perimeter. 

The sun was barely above the horizon now, and as if by chance Wally turned to look at Artemis. Her hair was shining and looked almost golden in the light. Her eyes were focused on the horizon and she face was bathing in the rays as well. The ginger smiled. He had never seen anyone look more beautiful before. It took all his restraint to not reach out and slide his fingers through her golden hair.

Before he could look away Artemis slowly turned and met his gaze. A smile appeared on her face as she reached out and gently brushed her fingers through his hair. As she did so, Wally was sure he had forgotten how to breathe.

“You hair looks like it’s on fire. It would be very dashing on anyone else,” she smirked as her hand fell gently next to his. 

He grinned back at her, “Here I was under the impression that I was very dashing.”

“Sorry, only in your dreams,” the girl said looking back out to the horizon. The sun was almost gone now and taking with it the rays of light that danced across her face. Lights around the reserve began to turn on. “Thankfully you dream every night so you’ll get to keep thinking that.”

“You dream every night too,” Wally said in a raspier voice. He didn’t know why he his voice changed but he hoped Artemis didn’t notice. She glanced back at him, a faint blush barely visibly dancing across her cheeks. The boy’s hand inched closer to hers until it was resting on top. He met her gaze, his eyes asking if his actions were okay. She nodded slightly and smiled. The ginger took a deep breath in. “Hey, Artemis…”

“Have either of you seen Garfield?” Marie asked, causing both teens to jump. Neither had heard her leave the house. “I can’t find him anywhere inside.”

“Uh, no, sorry.” Wally said, pulling his hand away from the girl next to him. They both stood up, avoiding each other’s eyes. “Want us to go look for him?”

“I know you two are supposed to be guarding me, but I would appreciate it,” she said.

“I thought he was told to stay inside though,” Artemis muttered, brushing her pants off. 

“He’s eight, he doesn’t do what he’s told. Especially when there are new people around,” the woman said, rolling her eyes. “Just find him before he gets himself into trouble.”

The two of them walked off the porch with Marie watching. Wally shoved his hands into his hoodie’s pockets and sighed. He knew they weren’t here for his love life, but for once it would have been nice for it not to be put on hold. Just once.

They wandered around the property calling out for Garfield every now and then. After a half hour of searching, Wally stopped dead in his tracks. “Where is this kid?” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “I mean seriously, I get he’s tiny, but come on!”

“I haven’t seen the others either,” Artemis said, placing her hands on her hips. “Do you think they’re okay? Also, isn’t it weirdly quiet? I can’t even hear any animals.”

“Yeah… You’re right,” he answered, looking around them slowly. He glanced at the blonde and saw she didn’t have her bow and frowned. “You don’t think that-“

Before he could finish his sentence, they heard a gun shot off in the distance. The two of them turned in the direction of it before breaking into a run. They ran pass the house towards a large barn. They heard another shot fired and heard a scream.

“Was that Megan’s voice?” Wally asked as they neared the barn.

Artemis didn’t answer. She only began to run faster towards the building. Wally picked up his pace and pulled ahead of her, wishing he had some sort of weapon before running into what could be open fire. 

They reached the barn and stopped to listen. When they didn’t hear anything, they slowly opened the large door and quickly slipped inside. What they saw was not what they expected. 

Megan was kneeling on the ground with Garfield lying down in front of her. She was pressing down on his right shoulder with a normally yellow cardigan, now completely red. She looked up, tears streaming down her face. “Help.”

“I’ll get Marie, help Megan!” Wally shouted before charging out of the barn. 

The next few moments felt like a blur. Finding Marie and getting her to the barn seemed the flow smoothly into all of them sitting in the Logan’s living room, waiting to hear about the young boy’s fate. Throughout the wait, they heard the whole story of what happened. While Kaldur and Dick were on the opposite end of the property and Megan and Conner at the gate near the barn, Garfield has snuck in to check on one of the animals. It just so happened that the moment he chose to do that, Queen Bee’s men were searching the barn. The boy had cried out for help and ended up getting shot. Then Megan and Conner arrived, Megan going to Garfield as Conner went after the men. 

Now, Kaldur was talking quietly with Conner, who looked tenser than Wally had ever seen him. Dick was sitting across from him, his head in his hands. Artemis was sharing the couch with the ginger, both of them ignoring the fact their hands were intertwined. Megan and Marie were both with Garfield.

It felt like hours had passed before Marie came into the room. Everyone looked up, unable to ask where the situation was. Wally felt the girl next to him squeeze his hand as everyone held their breath.

“He’s going to be okay,” the mother said. A collective sigh filled the room, though Wally noticed his best friend’s shoulders fall even more. “Megan was able to slow the bleeding enough that he didn’t lose a threatening amount. The bullet didn’t hit anything vital, so he’ll be making a full recovery. If… If she hadn’t been there when she was he… He wouldn’t have been so lucky. Thank you, all of you, for being here. I owe all of you so much for my son.”

“It is nothing we need to be thanked for, Ms. Logan. We are just here to do our jobs. Megan is the only one who needs thanks,” Kaldur said, taking a step towards the ginger woman. “The rest of us are just glad to hear the Garfield will be in good health.”

Just as Kaldur finished talking, Dick stood up and stormed out of the room. Soon, they all heard the sound of the front door being slammed. Wally stood up slowly, giving Artemis’ hand a quick squeeze before following after his friend. 

He found him sitting on the stairs of the porch. Wally plopped down beside him, wondering who would be the one to start talking. Minutes passed and the ginger sighed. He glanced at his friend before speaking, “You know, Artemis and I were sitting out here right before everything happened. I almost asked her out, thought you’d appreciate that info.”

“That’s good,” was the only response he got.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m glad I got interrupted. It would not have been the best time to be all excited about that now with Gar and such,” he continued. His friend merely nodded and then hung his head more. “Alright, what is it? What are you feeling sorry about? Dude! The kid’s going to be okay, his mom’s okay, the animals are all okay. This was a good mission. Not great, but good.”

“Queen Bee’s men… They did more than just shoot Gar,” Dick said quietly. He ran his hand over his face before looking up. “They stole some snake venom. About five vials from one species were taken. Kaldur and I noticed it when we were checking the barn in case the men came back.”

“Oh…” Wally said, slouching slightly. 

“This mission was not a success,” the younger boy muttered. 

“Woah, dude, we may have missed that but we didn’t fail today. The mission was to keep the Logans alive. Granted, Gar did get shot and he’s eight, so bit of a downer, but come on. Dick, they’re both alive. That’s more important than some stupid snake venom,” the ginger stated. Dick opened his mouth to speak but Wally raised his hand. “And before you say anything, look at the bright side. We have a clue now. Queen Bee wants snake venom. That’s something to look into. So, not a failure.”

The boy opened his mouth again then shut it. They sat in silence before the dark haired one started to laugh a bit. “You know, you always seem to say the right thing. Thanks, pal.”

“Hey, that’s what I’m for,” Wally smiled, lifting his fist up to his friend. Dick grinned at him, pumping their fists together. 

“So,” Dick smirked, “almost asked Artemis out, huh?”

“Yeah, and you’re not going to breathe a word of that to anyone. I’ll disown you as best friend if you do,” the ginger said, standing up. “Not a word.”

The younger boy mimed zipping his lips as Wally walked back into the house. He smiled as he saw Artemis sitting in the living room talking to Conner now. She glanced up at him and returned his smile. Sure, he had missed his opportunity this time but there were always more chances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… it’s been awhile… Sorry I took so long. End of the summer and going back to school took over. I promise it will never be over a month’s wait for chapters ever again. I don’t have much to say other than sorry. I feel bad, but school just took over. It’s still too much but I don’t want to make you guys wait long periods anymore. Again, so sorry.


	12. Chapter 12

Wally stood up quickly after finishing tying he shoe. He jogged to catch up to the blonde girl waiting for him slightly ahead on the sidewalk. The boy put his hands behind his head as they slowly began to make their way down the street again.

“So, a surprise at the warehouse, huh? Should we be worried?” Artemis asked. She was wearing a light winter jacket, a deep forest green colour, and a brown scarf. Wally could see her breath escape her mouth in small clouds. “Like, is there going to be any bodily harm or something?”

Wally shrugged, “It is Dick who’s told us, yes we should be worried, no bodily harm. It’ll be most likely extremely embarrassing. I have no idea who else has been called to the warehouse so for all we know it’s a trap.”

“And why would Grayson be trying to set a trap for us?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

“Oh, you know how he is, he just likes to mess with people. He probably wants to see if he can start a shouting match between us or something,” the ginger said. “You know, just cause.”

“We haven’t had a shouting match in ages, now that I think about it,” the blonde pointed out. “We’re probably rusty.”

Wally smiled as he looked away from her. She didn’t need to see just how pleased he was by their ability to keep a civilized conversation going. 

It was the middle of December, and Wally couldn’t lie to himself about how much he appreciated the winter this year. Every time he looked at Artemis, he could help but think how the season just suited her. She was wearing a light winter jacket, a deep forest green colour, and a brown scarf. She would periodically readjust her scarf, though all he wanted to do was grab hold of it so he could pull her into the kiss he’s been dying to give her. The finally touch his lips against hers. The lips that every time he looked, he could see her breath escape in small clouds. He wanted to be the reason that her breath was leaving, not the temperature. 

And this ‘surprise’ wasn’t helping him with his wants. The moment school had ended (for the winter break, finally) the ginger had received a text from Dick saying he was needed to go to the warehouse for ‘an extremely exciting, and most definitely the most shocking’ surprise. Nothing it would be nothing good, he decided that they were going to take the longer route over. He figured that it would be a trap to get him to look like an idiot in front of Artemis. This was partially due to the fact that Megan and Conner were away for the day to visit Gar and Marie now that the boy was well on the mend, and that Dick had been sick all day and wasn’t at school, giving him hours to prepare the perfect prank. 

He sighed as he thought over how annoying this was. Normally he wouldn’t be bothered by his friend’s actions, but lately they always seemed to interfere. Today he just wanted things to work out between the blonde and himself. It had been a couple weeks since the mission and the ginger had finally plucked up the courage again to try and ask out Artemis. He just wanted to get this over so he could get on with what could be the most terrifying thing he’s ever done.

Soon they found themselves at the warehouse soon and Wally looked at the girl next to him. He raised an eyebrow as he placed his hand on the door. Artemis smiled and nodded her head. Sighing, Wally opened the door, bracing himself for whatever his best friend had planned for them. 

“Long time no see, Wall-man,” a voice said once he stepped inside. Artemis looked over the boy’s shoulder to see who the speaker was. Dick, who was smirking, and Kaldur were standing by the computers with a tall, fairly muscular, ginger haired boy. He was wearing a red jacket and had a pair of sunglasses resting on the top of his head.

Wally’s eyes lit up as he began to walk across the building. “Roy! Wow, what… what are you doing here? I mean, wow, it’s great to see you! What are you doing here?”

Roy laughed as he clapped his hand onto the shorter ginger’s shoulder, “Mission stuff. I need you’re guys’ help. Who’s that?” He pointed over his friend’s shoulder, a strange look in his eyes.

Wally turned to see Artemis standing a few feet away. He gestured for her to come over as he spoke, “Artemis Crock, meet Roy Harper, the agent before you. Roy, this is Artemis.”

“Oh, the replacement,” Roy said quickly, ignoring the hand she had raised. “Hope you can actually keep up.”

“Yeah, actually I can, thanks. So mission stuff, are you even allowed to ask for our help?” Artemis demanded, crossing her arms.

“I’m not asking for your help, I’m asking the experienced agents for help,” he answered.

“Excuse me?” she asked, her voice rising. 

“Dude, what’s your deal? Artemis is definitely an experienced agent, back off,” Wally said, taking a step forward in front of the blonde. Roy crossed his arms, glaring at the girl near Wally. Artemis grabbed Wally’s arm, pulling him towards her and out of the way. 

“Okay! Now that we’ve all met and are reacquainted, how about Roy explains what’s going,” Dick said, moving over to ex-agent. 

“Whatever,” Roy muttered. He made his way over the computers. Soon two pictures showed up on the screens.

“Hey, that’s the lady who cut my arm on our first mission,” Wally pointed out, nudging Artemis. She nodded when he glanced at her, though he noticed she was staring down at her feet now.

“Jade Nguyen, yeah. Dick told me there was a run in with her a few months ago. Well, she’s back in town and this time with another member from the League, ‘Crusher’. I couldn’t find out his real name, apparently he’s high enough in the League that they’re actually going to protect his identity,” he said. “I’ve been tracking Nguyen for a week now and it looks like they’re picking up a package here. Turns out she’s working for Luthor. And Crusher, he seems to be working for Vandal Savage. What I need your help is stopping this pick up from happening. I’ve narrowed it down to possible spots in the town. We’ll pair off and keep a watch. If the transaction is happening where you’re pair is, radio the other and wait. Got it?”

“Any idea what’s in the package or whatever?” Wally asked.

“Not really,” Roy sighed. “From what Dick’s told me about your past missions, it’s likely they’re all connected. I know for a fact Queen Bee has been in meetings lately with Luthor. I tracked Nguyen to the meeting but she shook me off. The woman’s like a freaking cat or something. I didn’t find out what was being discussed.”

“Well the snake venom from Marie Logan’s reserve could be involved,” Artemis said, her voice tight. Wally took a side step towards her, a questioning look in his eyes, which she ignored.

Roy looked at the girl and frowned, “Yeah, that venom. 

“Well, I’ll be here, dude,” Dick said sitting in the chair in front of the computers. “Way too ill to actually be of any use out there, unless you want to pick me up and through me at the enemy.”

“Artemis will be a good choice for this mission,” Kaldur said, taking a step forward. “She is an archer like you Roy, Wally and I will pair with one of you. It would make the most sense that way.”

“Whatever, as long as she can actually shoot a boy. She can go Kaldur. I don’t trust her, no offence, so I want her with someone experienced. I just hope she’s a real archer, this needs to go well,” he stated.

“Okay, back up dude. What? Of course you can trust her, she works for the damn Agency you’ve just come crawling back to for help!” Wally said, raising his voice.

“Wally, drop it. I don’t care what he thinks,” Artemis said behind him.

“No, I’m not dropping this. I’ll pair up with Artemis, we’ve worked together a couple times and I do trust her,” he snapped. “What’s your deal?”

Roy merely looked at him before walking past them saying, “Dick will tell you where to go, by there within the hour. Come on, Kal.”

Kaldur sent an apologetic look to the pair that was left before following after the ex-agent.

“What an asshole!” Wally shouted. “Was he like that before?” 

“Um… yes?” Dick said, smirking. “You two always bickered.”

“I don’t remember it being that bad though,” the ginger said, rubbing the back of his head. “And what was that, Artemis? Normally you’re ready to tear apart anyone who questions you, I would know personally.”

“It doesn’t matter. What do I care what he thinks?” Artemis said quickly, avoiding he eyes. She walked over to a nearby table and grabbed her usual bag for missions. “I’ll probably never see him again. Look, just give us the location so we can go, okay Dick?”

“Yeah sure, just a sec.”

Wally’s eyebrow furrowed as they got the location. Soon the two of them were on their way out. Both pairs were in the west end of the town, by the harbour. They walked over from the warehouse; it would only take about a half hour to reach their location. The entire walk the boy felt like he was pulling teeth. Every question he asked Artemis just deflected. One worded answers, shrugging, or complete silence. He had seen her in bad moods before, but Wally wasn’t quite sure what this was. He could tell she was angry, but she also seemed almost nervous. 

They reached their location soon. They were camped on the roof of a two-story building at an intersection. Wally used the comm to tell Kaldur and Roy they had arrived as Artemis set up her bow. Soon they were standing, watching the buildings around them in complete silence.

Time ticked by slowly and Wally was ready to start hitting his head against a wall. His partner was still not talking and there was no sign of either one of the League agents. The sun was beginning to set and Wally just wanted this night to be over. Were Artemis and he really going to go through a not talking phase again?

“Artemis,” he said after awhile. He looked over at her from his spot on the roof. She seemed tenser than she usually looked on missions. Her grip on her bow was extremely tight and she was chewing her lip, “just talk to me, okay?”

“We shouldn’t be talking, Wally. These people are dangerous. You still have a scar on your arm from last time we ran into them, remember?” she responded. “Just focus one the mission.”

Wally sighed and turned away from her. He watched the almost empty street below them, wondering if Roy was even right about the location. Wondering why Roy just showed up out of the blue asking for, it was extremely odd for him to admit he was having difficulties with anything. He started wondering again why the girl he was with was so tense again. It had been months since she had been anywhere near this level of tension on a mission.

He glanced over at the girl again and sighed. He turned to look at her and took a deep breath in, “Artemis…” She looked over at him, her face looked like it was craved out of stone. She didn’t say anything and Wally took that as his cue to continue, “Look… okay this probably sounds a hundred times better in my head, and please don’t hurt me when I’m done, but relax, okay? Don’t let Roy get under your skin. You definitely are a real archer, and a real agent. He’s just angry that we have someone amazing to fill the spot. You aren’t a replacement, not really. You’re just you. And you’re pretty amazing. I mean, yeah I gave you a hard time, and yeah you’ve heard this already, but you were just so intimidating and I was such an idiot, but really don’t stress over this. You’re a part of this team, your own part. You didn’t take over Roy’s; you’ve made your own place here. You don’t have to prove anything to us. You don’t have anything to prove to me. Okay?”

Artemis stood there, staring down at her feet. Wally suddenly felt the urge to run away. Sure, they were much closer now, but he had this way of sticking his foot in his mouth around here and was starting to think this was one of those times. Soon the girl looked up at him and he braced himself for what she would inevitably throw at him.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. “You’re right, for once. Relaxing now.”

Wally smiled at her and resisted to urge to pull her into a hug. He felt that he had done enough for the situation, and he really didn’t want to push Artemis in the wrong direction now that she was in a good place. He turned to look back down at the street again.

“Um, and Wally?” her voice forced him to look back. It was soft and the look on her face was filled with a warmth he could never remember seeing before. His heart swelled as he looked at her. She smiled, glancing down before looking into his eyes. “It was nice out loud. Hearing that, I mean. It was nice to hear that out loud.”

“Oh, good. Good.” he said, beginning to grin. “Good.”

“We should get to, you know, look out,” Artemis said, a blush forming on her face. She tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear and looked down at the street. “We don’t want Roy to somehow found out we weren’t paying attention.”

“Right,” the ginger answered. He looked back down as well.

Both teens stood there in silence, feeling a warmth surge over them. Wally soon noticed that they both had moved closer to each other. Every now and then they would catch the other one glancing at the other, causing them to smile even more. He knew this should be a problem, but at this point Wally didn’t care. Whatever this mission had to bring, he was ready. He wasn’t going to let another mission delay or ruin his chances with this girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part one of two. Sorry this took so long to post. School and personal stuff. I'll hopefully have the next part done next weekend, but school is starting to really pile up. But I'll try my hardest.


	13. Chapter 13

Wally glanced at his watch then back down at the street. It was now getting into the late evening and there was still no sign of either of the League agents. They had been there for hours at this point and the ginger was getting bored. They had already played enough rock, paper, scissors to last him a lifetime. He leaned against the ledge of the roof and groaned. He heard the girl next to him laughing and he rolled his eyes. 

Looking up at her and she was biting back a smile, trying to keep her eyes stuck on the street below them. He reached over and poked her side, causing her to jump slightly. She shot a quickly glare at him before smiling, “Jerk.”

“Well don’t laugh at my boredom. You’re stuck here, too. God, I hate surveillance,” Wally muttered. “Thanks a bunch of this job, Roy.”

“So when do we get to rub it into his face he’s wrong?” Artemis asked glancing down at her own watch. 

“I don’t know, but I can’t wait to watch you go at him,” he answered, grinning at the girl. “It will definitely be the most amazing thing I’ll ever see. Watching you yell at someone who’s not me, heaven.”

“Well, I’m sure I kind find a reason to yell at you again,” the blonde said, reaching over to him and giving him a light punch. “You are, after all, one of the most annoying people I’ve ever met.”

“And you love it,” he said, smirking. He turned his gaze back to the street and still no one was down there.

He could feel time move by slower and he was ready to give up. They obviously were not at the right place and he honestly didn’t want to deal with Roy being the hero of the day. He sighed before rubbing his face.

His thoughts began to wander. This mission felt strange for some reason. He couldn’t shake how odd it was that Roy came to them directly and not to the Agency. Sure, he had his problems with them, but the ex-agent was still an ally. There was something off about this whole thing. He began to wonder if he should tell Dick this.

“Wally,” Artemis said after awhile. He looked over to her, being pulled out of his thoughts and the girl nodded down to the street. At the intersection they were watching, a blond man was standing. He was periodically checking his watch, waiting for something or someone. He fit the image of ‘Crusher’ perfectly. Artemis raised her hand to her comm as she quickly informed Roy and Kaldur.

 _“Good, now don’t lose him,”_ Roy’s voice said into their ears. _“There’s been no sign of Nguyen yet, but stay on alert for her. She’s tricky.”_

“Got it,” they responded together before falling silent.

They looked down at the man and waited. Wally regretted complaining about his boredom cause now the waiting was actually unbearable. Anything could happen now and he couldn’t calm down. Artemis was tense again, though this time he couldn’t blame her. Waiting was never really either of their thing. He wanted this night to be over.

“How long is he going to just stand there?” the boy muttered. From the corner of his eye he could see the girl shrug. This was getting more than unbearable. 

_“Nguyen’s arrived and is receiving her package, standby,”_ Roy’s voice said and they glanced at each other. Still no sign of Crusher getting a package. They held their breath, waiting for any sign of change. The seconds ticked by and Wally was about to lose it when the other ginger’s voice came back. _“Nguyen’s moving, you two stay there and keep an eye on Crusher. Do not leave.”_

They looked at each other a moment before Artemis swore under her breath. Before Wally could say anything, the blonde was making her way to the roof’s exit.

“Artemis!” he hissed after her, watching her run. 

She looked back at him once and he could see the apology on her face, then she was gone. 

“Shit!” the boy muttered, turning back to the target. There was no change with him, but now Wally was short an archer and had no way to stop him if it came to that. “Shit! This is bad, this is really bad.”

And, as if on cue, a car pulled up in front of the blonde man. The ginger couldn’t tell what was being said, but he could see a bag being passed onto Crusher. The boy swore again as he began to talk into his comm.

“Crusher just received his package and Artemis has run off. Do I go after the dude?” Wally asked, already making his way to the exit.

 _“I am waiting outside your building, Wally,”_ Kaldur’s voice said. _“We will follow him together.”_

Wally ran as quickly as he could down the stairs and met his friend outside. They jogged in the direction of their target for a while before the ginger said anything.

“Why are you here, Kaldur?” he asked, not sparing a glance. He was already taking a risk by speaking; he wasn’t going to give them an even harder time but not watching out for Crusher.

“Roy wanted me to check on you and Artemis. I told him it was a bad call but he would not listen. I am sorry, I could not get him to trust Artemis,” Kaldur answered, he eyes glancing down briefly.

“Well, I can’t blame him now,” the shorter boy muttered. “I have no idea where she ran off to.”

“Do not worry too much, I am sure Artemis would never purposely do anything to harm the mission,” the agent said. “We will figure that out when we get to there.”

Wally nodded, turning his attention back to finding the man. They ran for ages, but couldn’t find any trace of him. They stopped every once and awhile to catch their breath and trying and find anything that would lead them in the right direction. 

After a while of searching, they both received a message from Roy on their phones.

_I’ve found Nguyen, Artemis is with her. Meet me at the old clothing factory at the harbour. Hurry._

The boys glanced at each other before breaking into a run. Panic was surging through him. Everything was going wrong. But that made sense, luck was not really a thing to rely on. So of course when things finally start working out between him and Artemis they get thrown a curve ball. He just hoped it would be one he could catch. 

He thoughts made their way to their mission at the desert and the idea of the mole. Were they set up? He didn’t really think it was Artemis, but maybe she being used. Somehow she could have been blackmailed. He shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of it. Artemis was going to be fine, there is no reason for her to betray them. After this mission he was asking her out, they were going to finally get their date and he was going to kiss her. It was going to happen. Nothing bad was going to happen tonight.

They reached the factory in about ten minutes and found a side door opened. The two boys slowly made their way to it, trying to not to make any sound. They pushed through the door, and blinked a few times as their eyes adjusted to the light inside, or rather lack of it. Wally glanced at his friend, always impressed with how quickly Kaldur could focus. The ginger’s thoughts were still all over the place. 

“This way,” the blonde said, gesturing to their left. As the made their way in, they started to hear voices. The redhead gulped and hoped things would be under control. They pressed on, trying to get to their friends quickly, beginning to ignore the need for silence.

In a few minutes they found the room Roy and Artemis were in. Both had their bows drawn and pointing at the League’s assassin. The woman glanced over at the two boys who entered and smirked.

“Oh look, Arty, more of your friends are here. I wonder if they’ll be as nice about our chat as handsome here was,” she sneered, beginning to side step.

“Shut up!” Artemis yelled, though Wally could see that her hands were shaking.

“Don’t listen to her, Crock. She’s toying with you. With me. Give it up, Nguyen, you’re clearly out numbered,” Roy shouted. Wally and Kaldur ran up to them as if to emphasize their friend’s words. “Give us the package and we’ll let you go.”

“You’re right, I clearly can’t defeat any of you,” Jade laughed. Slowly she placed the brown package she was holding and stepped away from it. She glanced over at Wally and Artemis who were standing fairly close to each other. “Seems you found something, Artemis. I’m glad. Hopefully I didn’t hurt him too much last time so you can actually have your fun with him before breaking his heart.”

“I’m fine,” Wally snapped, taking a step forward. Artemis glared at him, but continued pointing her bow ahead. 

“Well, I guess I’ll just say goodbye now. And Roy, what a lovely date this has been. We should do it again sometime,” she said. She winked once at the taller ginger before turning and running from the room. 

Everyone stayed still for a few moments before letting out a collective breath. Both archers lowered their bows, Artemis turning away from the ex-agent. Wally reached out and squeezed her shoulder before making his way to the package. 

“Well that wasn’t great,” Roy snapped, putting his arrow back into his quiver. “No thanks to blondie here.”

“Well excuse me!” Artemis shouted back immediately. She turned to the other archer, her face flushed. “I’m sorry didn’t follow your plan perfectly, but I did find her!”

“Well good job stopping her!” the ginger shouted back.

“Roy, she is not the only one who made mistakes tonight. Wally and I were unable to stop Crusher. He got away with whatever he was given,” Kaldur said, calmly placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Yeah… and speaking of those packages. I think Crusher had the real one cause this one is beeping,” Wally said, sprinting back to his friends. 

Roy swore and started for the door. The other three followed after him, weaving their way through the halls. They just made it outside as the blast went off. No one looked back as they stumbled to the other side of the street. Once they were a safe distance away, they turned to look at the now burning building across from them.

\-----------------

“This mission was a failure. No one should be proud of how they acted tonight,” Kaldur said once they had returned to the warehouse. Wally and Artemis were sitting together on a table, heads hanging. Roy was standing a ways off, back turned. Dick was quietly sitting at the computers, glancing between everyone. “I will inform the Agency of this mission, but know, I will no gloss over anything.”

“Then you better know everything she did wrong,” Roy snapped, turning around to them. “This mission failed because of newbie.”

“What’s your deal?” Wally shouted, standing up. Artemis tried to stop him, but the boy shook her hand off. “Okay, yeah, she went after Jade on her own, but she did find her! Kaldur and I were the ones that let the real package go!”

“Did she tell you want she did when she found Nguyen?” Roy asked, crossing his arms. 

“Well obviously she held her off until you showed up, why would I need to know more?” the young ginger asked. He glared at his friend.

“Wally, just drop it,” Artemis said, standing up as well.

“Seriously dude, just let this go. Everyone screwed up tonight, let’s just leave it like that,” Dick said. The blonde girl looked over to him, a questioning look all over her face.

“No, I want to know what his problem is! He shows up after ditching us and thinks he can just take charge again. I want an explanation,” he shouted. 

“Are you telling him or am I?” Roy asked, looking over the boy’s shoulder at Artemis. The girl looked down, avoiding his gaze. “Fine. It’ll be worse from me though. Your girlfriend was just talking to Jade. That’s all. Just having a friendly little chat. She didn’t have her bow up. Kaldur said you guys think there might be a mole in the Agency? Well I’d start with her because clearly she has something to hide.”

The room went silent when the oldest boy stopped talking. Wally was completely silent, staring ahead blankly. Finally he took a breath in, turning to the girl behind him. “Artemis?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

“Wally, please just let it go,” she said, not giving him her gaze.

“Are you seriously that worried about proving yourself? Has almost four months on this team meant nothing to you?” he asked taking a step towards her. “You run off to prove yourself and all you do a _chat_ with the enemy?”

“Of course it meant something!” she said, looking up to him. “And that was not what… Wally, please.”

“Then why? Why go off by yourself, what did you have to prove? What were you doing?” the ginger asked. His voice was low and filled with venom. No one could ever say they heard that tone from him before.

Artemis shook her head, “Please, just let this go.”

“Well you definitely proved that you’re selfish and insecure,” he snapped. “I thought we could trust each other. I guess not. Try not to let anything slip to your pals in the League.”

The boy walked passed her, not trying to avoid bumping into her. He grabbed his jacket before starting for the door. He looked back once, frowning, “And I think it’s safe to say our plans this weekend are cancelled. I don’t know if I would be able to trust you to show up.”

And then he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. School and personal stuff took over. But good news, there was freezing rain where I live so I literally have nothing to do so I got this and chapter 14 written. Woo. 15 and 16 should be finished within the next two weeks. Unless some other disastrous thing happens.


	14. Chapter 14

“Come on, Wally, cheer up! It’s a Christmas party!” Megan said, pulling on his hand. The girl had been trying to get him to dance for the past ten minutes with no success. “It will do you some good.”

“Megan is right, Wally. You cannot brood about this forever,” Kaldur said. The two boys were sitting on a couch in Dick’s ‘party room’. The ginger wasn’t sure if this was the actual party room, but considering the boy lived in a freaking mansion, he didn’t really care. “Go have fun. She is not even in this room right now.”

“This isn’t about her, I just don’t feel like fun. I hate fun,” Wally said, trying to sink into the couch more. “Leave me here to hate fun.”

“Right, you hate fun. Got it,” the ginger girl said, finally releasing him. Sighing, she patted his shoulder before heading over to Conner. 

Dick had invited a bunch of people from their high school, so it was a lot easier to avoid people if you wanted to. Which Wally did in fact want to do. It had been about a week since their failed mission and he hadn’t said a thing to Artemis yet. And he wasn’t really planning on talking to her again. Partially because he was still really angry with her, but there was also part of him that was worried that if he spoke he’d just make it worse. Even he could admit that he has a knack for pissing people off sometimes. So his plan was to avoid. If they weren’t near each other they couldn’t talk. So far things haven’t gotten any worse… They just aren’t getting better.

Eventually Kaldur grew tired of his moping and went to go find something to do. Wally sat continued to sit on the couch, staring mindlessly off into the crowd and watching the people he went to school enjoy themselves. He waited for the girl to finally grow bored of waiting and chew him out for being like this, but it never came. He couldn’t hold it against her; she probably was just done with him. He was kind of done with himself too.

“So you’re really just moping here? Jesus, you’re extremely lame. How are we best friends?” Dick asked, jolting the ginger out of his thoughts. The younger boy sat down next to his friend and began to watch the crowd as well. “Seriously though, moping?”

“Dude, let it go,” Wally groaned, rubbing his face.

“Or I don’t and I help you fix your relationship with Artemis so that you can actually have a relationship with Artemis,” the boy said.

“There isn’t going to be anything between Artemis and I, okay?” the older boy said, looking to the other side of the room to completely avoid his friend.

His friend shrugged and pulled out his phone. The ginger glanced over briefly before turning his attention away again. He watched the people in the room move around having fun. He glared off into nowhere before giving up and leaning his head back. He stared up at the ceiling and waited for the couch to just swallow him up; that would be a lot easier than waiting to accidentally bump into Artemis. Everything around his was a blur and he wasn’t aware of who went by and if anyone stayed to try and talk. Everything around him meant basically nothing. He just sat there in self-loathing (and loathing for other things as well).

“Okay, dude, this is getting ridiculous,” Dick said, cutting into his feigned concentration. “Please just go talk to her. This sucks for both of you, this sucks for everyone else. It’s been a week, suck it up already.”

“Well obviously if she wanted this fixed, she would have talked to be already,” Wally said. He gestured around to the crowd around them and looked at his friend. “But, as you can clearly see, she isn’t here and she isn’t trying to talk. Let. It. Go. Dick.”

“Are you calling me a dick or just using my name, I really can’t tell,” the dark haired boy asked, pushing his friend’s shoulder. The older boy groaned but couldn’t help but smile a bit. “But seriously, Wally, just go talk to her.”

“Dick, it’s too late. What am I supposed to say? ‘Wow, sorry I blamed you for everything going wrong and oh, also I may have considered you being the mole. Want to go on a date?’” the ginger mocked. He shook his head and looked back out at the crowd.

“Wait, you thought she was the mole? Some boyfriend you are,” the younger boy said.

Wally glared at his friend, “First off, we never started dating so no boyfriend crap. Second, yeah, maybe for a second I did. I don’t anymore. Now I’m just angry.”

“Yeah, maybe don’t mention the doubting her part when you talk to her,” the agent said.

“Who said I was even going to talk to her? Pretty sure I said that wasn’t happening,” the ginger muttered.

“Yeah, but I know you better than that. You’re going to probably try and talk to her tonight.”

“Shut up.”

Dick shrugged before standing up. He waved to the boy on the couch before making his way out of the room. Wally once again found himself alone, angry, and confused.

Okay, so maybe he did really want to go talk to Artemis. And okay, maybe he was really hoping they had a chance at something. And there was a really good chance that the boy hated that his friend knew him so well. It was possible he had been thinking about whether or not to talk to her. He also hated that his thoughts couldn’t stay away from the blonde.

Swearing under his breath, Wally slowly stood up and headed out of the room. He wandered aimlessly around his friend’s house, trying to figure out where she could be. It was almost impossible. He began to wonder just how many people were invited; it really shouldn’t be this hard to find some in this mansion.

He had given up after about ten minutes searching and was heading back to the main room of the party when he glanced down a hallway. Artemis and Megan were sitting across from each other and happened in be within earshot.

“I don’t care if he’s beating himself up over this, Megan,” the blonde said, hugging her knees to her chest. “He doesn’t trust me and that’s that.”

“Just talk to him. Tell him whatever it is your hiding and it’ll work out,” Megan implored. She reached out, touching her friend’s leg. “You two can work this out.”

Artemis laughed bitterly as she looked down the opposite end of the hall from where Wally stood, “Yeah, I don’t think so. You know how quickly he reacts. He’ll find out and end up calling me the mole. No thank you.”

Wally took a step back at her words as if they had been thrown at him, almost knocking him over. He gritted his teeth as he continued to listen.

“He didn’t trust me back when we meant, and now that we’re here again… It’s probably better. No one wants to be in a relationship with a person who keeps secrets and lies. So no, I don’t think it’s going to work out,” the blonde continued.

“Artemis-”

“Can we drop this? Look, I get you just want me to be happy, and yeah, a week ago Wally surprisingly did make me happy. But how am I supposed to be happy if he doesn’t trust me?” the young girl interjected.

“You know, I’m on your side right?” the ginger girl asked. She scooted across the hall and placed both hands on the younger girl’s arms. “I do just want you to be happy but this isn’t about you dating Wally. This is about you moving on, with or without him. Got that?”

The two girls looked at each other before quickly moving into a hug. Wally slipped away, trying to wrap his head around what he had just heard. 

Of course she didn’t trust him anymore. He left her when she needed support from her teammates, let alone friends. He couldn’t blame her at all for not wanting to reach out to him, to try and make amends. He didn’t blame her for any of it. She could end up hating him and he would probably just join her in it, or would she be joining him?

He slinked off to an empty room, not wanting anyone to find him and try and tell him how to proceed from here. He knew this was a lost cause now. Thrown away by a stupid act. How many mistakes had he made over the years? Was it was so few that he was allowed to judge so quickly? Wally hated the feeling that was consuming him. Every second that past he hated himself more.

But he was still angry with her. Sure he didn’t trust her, but she didn’t trust him first. It was a juvenile way of thinking but there was no way around it for him. He couldn’t shake the anger he felt. He did tend to let his temper take over but he couldn’t help but accept it this time. He knew it was foolish but for once he couldn’t fight it.

Artemis didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust anyone on their team. They didn’t know anything about her and she seemed to be keen on keeping it that way. How was he supposed to trust her if she didn’t trust him? 

But at this point it didn’t matter. There was the unspoken agreement between them now to avoid and ignore. To sit in the anger and wallow in self-loathing. They both saw no other option at this point. It was a game of repeating hurt feelings that they had fallen into, neither knowing how to win. 

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear someone enter the room. It wasn’t until they sat down in the chair next to his own was Wally pulled from his thoughts.

“So, how did your talk with Artemis go?” Dick asked, leaning into his chair.

“It didn’t. I heard her talking with Megs, she doesn’t want anything to do with me,” the ginger muttered, avoiding his friend’s gaze. 

“Did she say that or did you just hear it?” the young boy inquired. “Because those are two different things.”

“What does it matter? We don’t trust each other, it’s basically the same thing,” he answered, shrugging half-heartedly. 

“Maybe if you talked to her you’d find out why,” his friend supplied.

“Drop it, okay? I’m done. Look, not every crush works out to be more than a crush. Not every friendship lasts. This is just that. We didn’t make it so I’m just going to deal,” Wally said.

“This is stupid. Both of you are being stupid,” Dick groaned. He leaned forward in his seat, causing the older boy to look up. “Do you want to know what’s going on with her? I’m tried of being the only one who knows.”

“Wait, she told?” the ginger yelled, standing up abruptly. 

“No, relax. I found out on my own,” the dark haired boy said. Wally flopped back down into his chair, looking away from his friend. “Do you want me to tell you?”

Wally crossed his arms but didn’t answer. Of course he wanted to be told what was going on. He wanted to know more than anything. But would knowing change anything? And it still wouldn’t mean Artemis trusted, it would just confirm how little he trusts her.

“No. If she has something to tell me, she can tell me herself. I think I’ve done enough damaged without going behind her back,” he mumbled. 

“Fine, suit yourself. But just remember, she has her reasons,” Dick said. He stood up and lightly punched the ginger’s shoulder. “Geez, you guys are both so stubborn. You really would be great together.”

“Whatever,” the older boy grumbled.

He watched his friend leave before sinking into the chair. He closed his eyes, wondering if this mess will ever fix itself. Dick was right, they both were very stubborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters to go! We’re getting there guys, we’re very slowly getting there. The next two chapters might take from time because I’m going to write them together, so bare with me.


	15. Chapter 15

The warehouse seemed a lot colder the past few days, not even Dick could make his ‘ware-home’ joke. It partly had to do with Wally and Artemis still ignoring each other completely (no one had been able to convince the two teens to finally talk). But what was really hanging over their heads was they hadn’t heard anything for the Agency since the botched mission. And this worried them.

Kaldur had made his report but since then it had been dead air. At first they thought they were being ‘grounded’ for failing a mission but when no one came to tell them that… Even Conner was starting to worry and tried calling his cousin.

It was New Year’s Eve and the team decided to meet up and celebrate. But no one felt like it once they arrived. The worry and tension had festered enough to ruin a holiday, let alone a normal night (and it was safe to say that the past few normal nights had already been below average mood wise). But this wasn’t going to stop them from trying at least.

So in the end, they were just sitting around the warehouse, eyeing each other periodically while also ignoring that Wally still seemed to be able to eat.

The ginger was mostly eating at this point to avoid the girl who had been plaguing his thoughts since the mission. Granted, she was on his mind a lot normally, but he wanted to go back to not being angry about the situation they were in. He wasn’t angry with her anymore. Well, he might have been a little, but it most just shifted to not being able to talk to her in fear of making everything a hundred times worse. He definitely had a knack for that.

Grabbing another sandwich from the now dwindling food table, Wally walked over to Kaldur, leaning on the back of his friend’s chair.

“Still no word from the boss people?” he said, chewing his food still.

The blonde boy glanced up then returned his gaze to the computers. “No,” he responded, rubbing his head slightly, “I am beginning to worry. Well, worry more. This is very unlike the Agency.”

“Seriously though, I can’t remember them ever being this laid back about a bunch of teenagers doing dangerous things,” the ginger said, taking another bite of his sandwich. Kaldur laughed as he shook his head. Grinning, the boy turned and swallowed his food. “Guys! I just made Kaldur laugh, he’s not actually a robot.”

“Shut it, Wally!” Dick called from across the building. The youngest of them was currently trying to set up a large TV against a wall. Conner was standing by, staring at the instructions, a confused look on his face. “We’re trying to make sure this night isn’t a failure, we can’t concentrate with you blabbing!”

“Fine!” the ginger shouted back, feigning being hurt by his friend’s words. Though, he couldn’t really ignore the worry on both the dark haired boys’ faces, he was sure it was probably just his imagination. He patted Kaldur’s shoulder before glancing around the building. Artemis and M’gann were sitting on one of the tables, laughing quietly as they flipped through what looked like the school’s old yearbook. Shaking his head, Wally wandered over to the girls.

Artemis glanced up before quickly returning her gaze down at the pages before her. It was a yearbook and the two girls just happened to be in the Ws. Before the boy could protest, a sound at the warehouse’s entrance drew everyone’s attention away from what each of them was doing.

“Roy?” Dick asked, quickly moving to the newcomer.

Roy Harper stumbled further into the room, allowing both Dick and Conner to help keep him up right. The two boys helped the older ginger to a chair as the whole group moved around him, Artemis staying behind the others.

“Dude, you look terrible,” Wally said, avoiding the ex-agents eyes. “What happened?”

“Let’s just say my handlers roughed me up a bit before I could escape them,” Roy muttered, accepting a handkerchief from Megan.

“Handlers?” the ginger girl asked, looking around the group.

“Remember how there was a mole?” the older boy said, fist beginning to clench over the clothe in his hand. “Well, there definitely was one.”

“Roy, my friend, you have discovered the identity of the mole?” Kaldur asked, resting a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

Laughing bitterly, he shrugged his friend’s hand off him. He bowed his head to rest it into his free hand. After a few minutes of this, Roy spoke, “Yeah, I definitely did. It’s me. I’m the mole.”

Megan’s gasp was the first thing to meet the words and then silence. Wally’s mouth hung open as he tried to process the information that was just handed to him. For a brief second, he thought he felt a hand on his shoulder but when he looked it was bare (though Artemis was standing closer to the group now).

“Roy…” Dick said, a frown appearing on his face. “Why?”

“I didn’t mean to,” he responded, his other hand joining the first. Megan moved closer, kneeling down in front of the sitting boy. She placed her hands on his knee and a breath left him. “I swear I didn’t mean to. A few months ago I had a run in with Jade Nguyen and I thought I had gotten away but… It turns out they’ve been drugging me for information and then drugging me to forget. I’ve been betraying all of you without even knowing it.”

“Shit…” Wally muttered, rubbing his face. 

“I know that you want to ask us for our forgiveness,” Kaldur said. He gripped Roy’s shoulder, keeping it there as the older boy tried to shake it off again. “But I need you to focus, Roy. You must tell us what the League knows now. Let us help you fix this.”

“I guess I should start with the fact I was being asked to re-join the Agency. Oliver got me to slow down a bit. The past month I had been on mission for them. So when I showed up with that mission with Nguyen and Crusher… It was a test. The Agency wanted to see how you were doing on missions but didn’t want to make it obvious they were watching,” the ginger explained.

“Well, I’m taking it we failed that one,” the younger ginger muttered, glancing over his shoulder at Artemis.

“I’m the one that failed you,” the agent said. He looked up to the blonde, meeting her gaze. “I was subconsciously putting the blame on Artemis because it was easy. I’m sorry. I know there is no way you would betray us.”

“Roy… I need you to focus,” Kaldur pressed.

“They know how to break into the Agency. And they’re going to, today,” he answered, hanging his head again. “They have this toxin they plan on releasing into the air once they’ve finished taking them down. That’s what Lex and Vandal have been working on. Vandal will get to cause a panic until Lex comes swooping in with an expensive antidote. It’s all going to be my fault.”

The group stared at their friend. This explained everything they had dealt with the past few months. Slowly they piece together the puzzle, realizing that this was not the picture they wanted. 

“So now what?” Megan asked. She stood up and moved away from the agent. “Do we warn the Agency or hide?”

“The Agency will have been hit already. Hiding is the only option,” Roy spat, his fists clenching. 

“Wait, but we have an advantage now,” Dick said. Everyone looked over at him. “Sure we could hide, or we fight back. I don’t know about you, but I think taking down the bad guys is a great option. Saving the day, it’s our thing.”

“Then I think you will need help strategizing,” a voice said behind the group. They all turned to the speaker and let out an uneasy breath. Bruce Wayne walked towards them, Clark following him. “This mission will not be easy.”

“Bruce!” Dick said, sprinting to his guarding. “Is the Agency…”

“Taken? Yes. That’s why we’re here. While the agents go head to head with this attack, we need you seven to infiltrate the Agency and stop the toxin from being released,” the agent explained quickly. The man looked the group over, eyes lingering briefly on Roy. “We will deal with the aftermath when it comes. We need to get there still.”

The agents quickly explained how they could enter the building. How they could find the device and turn it off (though both men were sure blowing it up would work just as well). They warned them of each danger and of each chance the League would take in killing them. They needed to have a clear head because the enemy certainly was going to.

After a brief side conversation with Dick, the two men looked the team over.

“We were hoping to ease you three into a mission like this,” Clark said, the worry in his voice clear. “And we hoped that your friends wouldn’t actually get involved in any of our messy business. But we have to ask all of you this time.”

“Do not be rash. Think before every move. You have until midnight, do not rush and get yourselves killed,” Bruce commanded. He looked at Dick one last time before turning to leave.

Wally watched the men disappear and gulped. He had always been up for missions, always eager to please the Agency in case it meant they would recognize him. But this? This was not what he had in mind. Sure, some saving the world had been there, but it was never this close to home in his thoughts. These agents had for some reason allowed him in, they even trained him a bit. The fact that they might be…

“This is really happening?” Megan asked, slipping her hand into Conner’s. 

“We should start getting ready if we’re going to be there by nine,” Artemis stated.

“I think we have one order of business left here, actually,” the youngest of them said. He sighed and looked over at Artemis. “Time to share your secret, I think.”

The colour from the girl’s face faded quickly and her hands tensed. “How…?” the blonde asked.

“Artemis, we need to get all the secrets out. Yours can help us,” the boy said. “Besides, I know some of us are dying to hear it.”

Wally frowned as his eyes travelled to his feet. Even with that, he could feel Artemis’ eyes on his back. He kept his gaze glued to the floor as he heard footsteps. Only when the blonde began talking did he look up.

“I don’t really know how to start this, but I guess you can gather that Roy isn’t the only one with a secret,” Artemis started, typing into the computers she was now standing in front of. “Or the only one with a secret involving Jade Nguyen.”

One the computers, three faces appeared. The girl stepped back so the group could move to get a closer look. 

“That’s my mother, Paula Nguyen-Crock, she used to work for the League before my father, Lawrence “Crusher” Crock, used her as a scapegoat. She ended up in a wheelchair and jail. Once released, she decided to retire to raise me properly, away from the crime filled life of my father. Unfortunately… My sister, Jade, didn’t get the chance to escape that life.

“I was so scared about you guys finding this out,” the girl said, looking down at the ground now. “The Agency promised to protect me from my father, so I asked to join. I didn’t realize I was going to be put with a group of kids my age. With people I would care about. I was scared you’d hate me if you knew.”

“That’s why…” Kaldur began, looking over at Wally.

“That’s why I botched that mission, yeah,” Artemis answered. She lifted her gaze, catching the ginger boy’s eyes. “I was worried that if Roy got to her first that she’d let it slip. I didn’t want it to go that way; I just didn’t want to lose you. Any of you.”

Wally took a breath in and smiled, “I think that answers all of my questions. How about we go get some bad guys?”

“You heard the man, everyone get ready, we’re leaving in ten,” Dick said, a grin on his face. 

The group dispersed to gather their various necessities for the mission. Wally followed Artemis to where her bow was kept.

“Hey,” he said in a hushed voice, leaning against the wall. “So I think it’s pretty clear I’m the biggest asshole out there.”

“Oh, I didn’t need to reveal my secret to figure that one out,” she answered, grinning up at him. “But I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

The ginger nodded and reached out as the girl handed him his utility belt (he had forgotten that he had started storing it by her things before that mission). 

“Hey, listen,” Wally said. He placed his belt on the ground quickly before taking hold of Artemis’ hand. She met his gaze and he could tell her breathing had stopped, as if she was waiting for the next hit of the storm. “I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusion and I fucked up. I should have let it go, I should have listened to you, I should have trusted you. I’m sorry.”

“I know,” the blonde answered, squeezing his hand. “Sorry I kept it a secret.”

“Don’t be, with the way I reacted when I thought you were just being insecure, I can’t really blame you for that one.”

“I’m still sorry, to all of you,” Artemis replied, shrugging. She smiled at him as she used her free hand to tuck a loose hair behind her ear. “So, bad guys now?”

“Not quite,” Wally whispered. He pulled on her hand and brought her into a hug. She responded immediately by wrapping her hands around his waist. He let out a breath before breathing her in. His hands buried themselves in her hair and for a moment he didn’t care they had a city to save. They were okay again. They were back on the path he wanted. They were with each other and suddenly he was invincible.

“We need to go,” she mumbled into his shoulder. He nodded before they both pulled apart. “I swear to God if you die doing something stupid tonight.”

“Please, look who you’re talking to! What could go wrong?” the ginger exclaimed as he grabbed his dropped belt. The blonde rolled her eyes as they made their way to the others. 

Everyone shared a look before they headed out. They knew this was all or nothing. They knew the thousands of lives depended on them. They knew it would be a miracle if they made it out of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second last chapter. The last chapter should be up in two weeks unless things get unforeseeably busy. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.


	16. Chapter 16

Kaldur signalled for the two behind him to move before heading down the hall himself. Wally and Artemis followed after, the ginger glancing over his shoulder quickly. They hadn’t run into anyone at this point, and he was beginning to wonder when their luck was going to run out. He knew it was going to happen, it was always just a matter of time until they were caught. It always was with their team. (Maybe if they all survived into the New Year they’d be able to start changing that fact.)

The Agency’s headquarters wasn’t the tallest building in Happy Harbor, but the idea of getting around it undetected was unlikely. The three of them were on the seventh floor, trying to find the device that was going to ruin the city. They had split their team in half to take out both the device and the toxin at the same time, ensuring this would be stopped completely. So far, close to two hours into their searches, nothing had been found. 

They went from room to room; hoping that every room they entered wouldn’t hold any surprises.

“Where is everyone?” Artemis whispered as the made their way to the eighth floor. “I get the agents are dealing with Luthor’s pawns out in the city, but you would think there would be someone here.”

Kaldur glanced back at the girl before opening the door to the new floor. Worry was etched onto his face. It was clear that none of them knew how this night was going to end. 

Wally brought up the rear again, watching the hall as the two agents checked the rooms lining it. His blood was rushing the fastest it ever had and he couldn’t keep his thoughts straight. They kept jumping from regret to regret. He hadn’t told his parents that he was doing this. He had never asked Artemis out, let alone kissed her. Dick and he had never done their cross-country road trip. He had never been asked to join the agency. 

Floor after floor, empty room after empty room. Eight turned into nine, nine into ten. Still, they couldn’t find the device to release the toxin. If they had been anxious before, the minutes seemed to be ticking away even faster. They made their way onto the eleventh floor and repeated the search pattern.

They reached the end of a hall, again with no results, wondering how the other half of their team was doing. Making their way back to the stairs, they heard voices in the stairwell. Wally grabbed Artemis’ hand and moved quickly into one of the rooms. Kaldur slipped into a room across the hall.

Trying not to breathe audibly, the two teens shared a glance before trying to focus on the conversation on the other side of the door. 

“Have you found the tiny agents yet?” a man’s voice asked. Artemis mouthed ‘Luthor’ to the ginger next to her before returning to focus to the conversation. “If they ruin this plan while their _mentors_ stall out there, I can assure you that we will not be working together again in the near future. Do you understand, Vandal?”

“Relax, Luthor,” Vandal Savage said. The voices were now moving past their room they were in and becoming to harder to hear. They moved to the crack under the door to try and catch the words better. “A group of high schoolers won’t be able to stop us. But if it worries you this much, I will send more men up to the device.”

“Good. Now hurry, make sure the toxin is ready. It’s less than an hour till we release it,” Luthor answered. They heard a chuckle followed by the opening and closing of a door from down the hall. 

Holding their breath and praying, they listened to Savage make his way back down the hall to the stairs. The sound of the stairwell door closing allowed them to exhale finally. Waiting for her to take the lead, Wally tried to remember how to breathe. Artemis waited a few minutes before moving back into the hall. Kaldur was already there, waiting at the stairs. 

The three of them quickly, but as quietly as they could, made their way to the top floor.

“The roof. It will most likely be on the roof, or the top floor. We must take it down now,” Kaldur whispered gravely. He looked over the pair following him before continuing his climb of the stairs. “We are not splitting up though. I will not risk one of us on our own. Not today.”

Artemis nodded, clenching her bow. Wally frowned and tried to focus on moving one foot in front of the other. He stole a glance at his watch and went back to his feet. The minutes ticking by were only adding to the tension. They still had a few more floors to climb. 

Where were the others? They had all decided radio silence was the way about this mission, and they were going to follow that this time. The closer midnight drew, the more Wally worried about their other teammates. Had they found the toxin yet? Was it already destroyed? Were they all lying somewhere, slowly dying?

“Wally…” a voice said bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a weak smile and worried eyes. They had reached the top floor and Kaldur was waiting for them to be ready.

“Let’s just do this,” he muttered, stepping up next to her. He accepted the quick hand squeeze from her as their leader opened the door slowly. 

First, they heard the guns firing, and then they saw the blood pour from Kaldur’ shoulder. If the boy noticed, he didn’t seem like it. The three of them rushed into the room, doing everything in their power to avoid being hit by the bullets flying at them. Artemis was the first to take a goon down. Kaldur followed with the second. 

The top floor of the building was designed to hold multiple office spaces, but as one open room, giving a few hiding places throughout behind desks and the occasional pillar. Better than an open hallway.

Wally followed after the blonde girl, both ending up behind a desk. The girl got three arrows ready as the ginger looked over the desk, flinching as a bullet grazed his cheek. “Now,” he said. Artemis quickly stood, firing the arrows in succession, hitting each of her targets.

She dropped back behind the desk to get ready to fire another round. Wally went back to watching the men firing at them. Kaldur was across the room now, taking down a few more men of his own.

“How many more?” Artemis asked.

“About ten, hopefully no more join them,” he answered. The moment the words had left his mouth, the sound of the stairs’ door opening reached them. About five more men entered the room, already aiming their guns.

“You just had to add that on, didn’t you?” the archer groaned, loosening an arrow at one of the new attackers. 

“Sorry!” he answered, vaulting over the desk. He grabbed one of the knives on his belt and hurled it at one of the men. He promised himself that the first thing he’d do when he saw his best friend was kiss him; the hand to hand combat lessons throughout the years was definitely going to get him through this night. 

Unfortunately, the training didn’t seem like it was going to be enough. Five minutes into fighting without Artemis’ arrows covering him, the ginger felt a sharp pain in his side. He glanced down, and only saw a dampness spreading through his shirt. He winced as he continued fighting, trying to quickly make his way to either of the blondes around him. 

“Get down, Wally,” Kaldur said once the ginger reached him. He dropped to the ground as the taller boy quickly dealt with the final goon. They all tried to catch their breath as they scanned the room. “It appears that the roof is where we are headed.”

“Wonderful,” Wally grimaced as he made his way back to his feet. He grabbed onto a desk to keep him up right. “Though, I’m going to ask for maybe some bandaging up before we go, you know, for good measure.”

Artemis rolled her eyes as she joined the two boys. Kaldur helped the ginger into a chair as she pulled out her first aid kit. They all worked quickly to dress the wound. As the girl tied it off, she winced slightly.

“Hey, are you okay?” Wally asked, his hand moving to her cheek. “Did you get hurt?”

“It’s nothing, chest wound,” she replied, batting his hand away. “Seriously, focus on yourself, I really don’t want to deal with you being dead.”

“So you do care,” he joked, pulling his shirt down over the bandage. He let his friends get him standing again. “I thought you were just hanging around for my mad skills.”

“Neither, I just don’t want to fill out paper work to explain your death,” Artemis said, smirking. Wally grinned back, leaning into her as she helped keep him up right. 

“We need to move,” Kaldur said, almost apologetically. “Will you be able to make it up the stairs?”

The boy nodded. As they made their way, Artemis took a few cautious steps forward as the two teens figured out a pace the ginger would be able to handle. The way up the stairs was much tenser then before; the slow pace and the knowledge that the League was aware of their presence are weighing down on them. 

The door the roof opened easily, and before the slower two were even through the doorway, Kaldur had taken down the men. Wally leaned against the wall as the two blondes did their best to bar the door.

“Hopefully that will hold up,” Artemis said, the pessimism oozing from her voice. She looked around and her frown deepened. “There’s nothing up here…”

Kaldur quickly moved away from the door, looking around almost frantically. She was right; the roof seemed to be empty. The three teens quickly spared looks at each other before the two more mobile ones began search the roof. The ginger stayed near the door, ready to give any warnings needed.

Now time seemed to slow down completely. Every staggered breathe out of Wally made him that more tense. What if they didn’t find it? They would have to pray the Dick and the others were successful, though that route didn’t comfort him. The boy glanced at his friends before turning his attention back to the door. What if the guards caught up with them? He was going to be a goner before he ever really got to do anything…

He shook his head as he heard a cry of joy. Turning to the sound, a bit too quickly, he saw Artemis head behind a vent, Kaldur following after her. A second later, they called for him.

“Did you find it?” Wally answered, slowly pushing himself off the ledge. He took slow steps, trying to ignore the pain that shot through him with each one. “Because if you found like, a really cool bird or something we’re going to have to check out your priorities.”

“Just get over here, we need you to double check how to disarm it, Science Nerd,” Artemis said.

“I thought we could just blow it up,” the ginger replied, stopping for a moment. His side felt like it was on fire and he really didn’t want to pass out before seeing them save the day. 

“We would rather avoid that,” Kaldur’s voice came over to him. While it was focused, the injured boy could hear the slight trait of amusement in it. “We do not want to draw attention to ourselves once we’ve destroyed it. I do think we all want to make it out of here alive.”

“Yes, that would have been the smarter plan, wouldn’t it?” a cold voice said behind the paused teen. Before he could react, a cold, metal blade pressed against his neck. The boy slowly straightened, trying to move away from the knife, wincing from the strain on his injury.

Artemis came out from behind the vent, an arrow already pointing at his captor.

“Vandal…” she hissed. 

“Yes, yes, I know. You at least thought that you would have destroyed the device before someone caught up to you. Well, we’re sorry we disappointed you, but we aren’t going to let a couple of _children_ ruin everything we’ve worked towards,” the man said, knife pressing more into the boy’s throat. “Luthor should be catching up with your little friends any second now.”

“Hey Artemis, you know, anytime you want to show off you archery skills, that would be gre-” Wally said, stopping as the knife began to break the skin, barely drawing blood.

“Yes, show us how good your skills are, little girl. Do you really think you’re fast enough to not hit him? Let’s see what Lawrence was able to teach you,” Vandal sneered.

The blonde’s arms dropped an inch before moving back into place. There was a tension through her body and the ginger knew that comment had hit her hard. He just hoped that a miracle would happen at that point, for all of them.

“Vandal, I do not believe we really need to worry about her aim,” Kaldur said, moving out to stand next to the girl. There was a slight smirk on his face. “Though, perhaps you should.”

“What do you mean, boy?” the man asked, clearly amused.

“Detonators,” Kaldur smirked, before nodding at Artemis. She turned quickly, letting her arrow sore behind the vent. 

The next second took an eternity. The ginger watched the arrow disappear and waited for the explosion. Before Wally even realized it had gone off, he had be pushed away and slammed into the ground. Artemis and Kaldur had managed to get a good distance away, lying on the ground as well.

When they were able to move again without fear of the explosion, they looked around for Vandal.

“Damn it, of course he’s gone,” Artemis grumbled, scuffing her boot against the ground.

“Hey, we can only be so amazing,” the ginger said, grimacing as he got himself into a seating position. “And you know what would top off you being amazing? Helping me up.” 

The girl rolled her eyes, but walked over to him. Once up, she wiped the tiny amount of blood on his neck. “What did I say amount getting hurt tonight?”

“Yeah, pretty sure you said don’t die, actually. And, pretty sure I managed that much… Only pretty sure though, there is a chance I could be dead right now,” he answered, smiling at her softly. 

“No, I can assure you that you’re alive,” she said. “I have to put up with you still.”

“Can we go home now?” the ginger asked. “I’ll be more up for witty back and forth banter back at the warehouse.”

“Agreed. We will find the others and then head out,” the taller boy said, making his way over to them. “Will you be well enough to help as we search?”

“Look no further!” a voice called from the door. The three teens turned and saw the other four from their team jogging towards them. Megan was the first to reach them, wrapping her arms around Wally and Artemis, beaming. Dick arrived next, grinning. “Nice explosion, we heard it from the basement.”

“Is the toxin destroyed?” Kaldur asked, clasping hands with Roy.

“Definitely. And the computers and such. I doubt we’ll be seeing this move being played again,” the youngest of them said smugly. 

“Good work, everyone,” the blond boy said. “We should all head out now, the Agency will be wondering where we are. It must be late now.”

“What time is it, anyway?” Conner asked, stepping up beside Megan. 

Wally glanced down at his watch and grinned. “You’re all going to accuse me of lying, but I promise you I one hundred percent am not. Happy New Years everyone.”

“Yeah, you’re definitely lying,” Artemis said, reaching for his wrist. Once she grabbed hold of it she groaned. “I can’t believe it…”

“Kaldur, just so you know, I’m not kissing you. I know we’re both kind of leaders, but for that very reason I just don’t think that it would be a good idea,” Dick said, walking over to his friend. Kaldur rolled his eyes but smiled.

“Well, if no one minds…” Megan said, grinning. She turned to Conner as she pulled him down into a kiss. 

Wally took a breath in before looking back to Artemis. She was still holding his wrist and he felt the surge of energy he felt back in November resurface. The blonde slowly brought her gaze to his and he let the breath out.

“So…” she said quietly, her hand slipping into his. His other arm was draped over her shoulders. He shifted to stand in front of her, grateful as she steadied his movements. “You really should sit down.”

“First,” he whispered, moving so his hand was cupping her cheek. She tightened her grip on his, sucking her breath in. Wally knew they must have looked ridiculous; caked in blood and dirt, but suddenly he didn’t care. He kept his eyes locked with hers and smiled slightly, “there’s something I think we should have do a long time ago.” 

He leaned into her, moving forward slowly but not wasting a moment. He was a breath away from her when she let go of his hand and pulled him to her. Their lips pressed together and electricity surged through them. It was almost like they weren’t meant to kiss; they fit so perfectly together. More than anything, Wally wanted to scoop her up into his arms and ignore the world around them. He wanted to be pressed against her for the rest of his life. He wanted to whisper all the thoughts and emotion he had when she would spare him a glance. He wanted to stay this way forever.

A cheer cause them to pull apart. Sheepishly, Wally looked over at his grinning best friend and Artemis rolled her eyes.

“Seriously? Cheers?” she groaned, avoiding the ginger girl’s beaming face.

“Of course cheers! Now we don’t have to deal with all the stupid ‘will they, won’t they’ tension we’ve had to deal with since September,” Megan said, leaning against Conner. 

“Yeah, it was pretty tiring,” the dark hair boy said, shrugging.

“Wow, even you, Conner?” Wally asked. He began to leaning onto the girl with again and began to feel lightheaded. “Okay, as much as I’m sure everyone wants to stand around and tease us, I’m about to pass out so if we could perhaps relocate this to the warehouse?”

“Come on, bucko,” Artemis said, pulling his arm back around her shoulders.

They all turned, making their way to the roof’s exit. Roy and Kaldur took up the rear, readying their weapons. They all knew there was a chance of a final attack, though those chances were probable on the low side. Dick pulled out a phone, making the call that the mission was done and they were heading back.

But at this point, Wally didn’t care. Passing through the doorway, all the boy could think about was how things were perfect. He finally got to where he wanted with Artemis. He had his friends. He had an interesting after school activity.

But most importantly he was alive. He had never been more alive. Sure, the adrenaline from the night was wearing off, but if anything that just reinforced it. He was alive and ready. Ready for everything that was going to come at him next. Ready for the next fight, ready for the next test, ready for the next struggle. Ready for the next late night where he and Dick got told off for not paying attention. For the next time he is forced into cleaning up after baking all day with Megan. The next time Kaldur and Conner try to convince him to go work out with them. Ready… More than ready for the next time he can kiss Artemis. He was ready, completely and utterly ready for the next step in his journey.

And he knew he wasn’t going to take it alone. They would all take it running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it. That’s the end. Finally got there, wow. First I just really want to thank you guys for reading all of this. You’re all silly for taking the time to read 16 chapters of my fic cause it’s not even that amazing but you guys really made me feel like it was. Thank you for all the comments, likes, kudos, etc. It means so much to me. Some special thanks to my friends (Gwen and Kaitlyn specifically) for listening to me whine about this story and all my freakouts and complaints and worries. But the biggest thanks goes to Heather who was my beta. She edited… 90% of this fic for me even though she’s a 4th year university student who doesn’t actually have the time for this, but she’s actually beyond perfect so that how she managed it. Thank you so much for sticking through this with me. You’re a saint. But wow… This is it. This is the first multi-chaptered fic I have ever written and it’s really weird to say goodbye to it. It was a huge challenge and I’m so happy that I took it on and actually finished it. It feels amazing to be here finally. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you so much for reading it. Au revoir!


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